A New Member's A-Z Reflections: After the Stereoviews

This was my first A-Z and I can honestly say (excuse the cliche) it took my breath away and turned my world upside down! But I will admit that I had some legitimate concerns in the beginning.

A dear friend had urged me to join, but I kept asking myself, what could I possibly say that would be of interest to other bloggers? As a new blogger, this whole blogosphere thing was uncharted territory. Should I talk about my writing, I asked.....about a novel that I have taken far too long to write? What about the time drain the challenge would take from finishing this book? Perhaps I could write family bios of my ancestors from the vast archive I had inherited. This could serve as research for a future book. But no, that would be too much to write, I decided. So....I opted for something visual that I knew would be fun, the scanning of over 70 stereoview photos. It was a good first year choice. No regrets!!

What I learned from the challenge:
--Bloggers are a community. There is a surprising sense of family shared among bloggers. I have met people I plan to follow for hopefully years to come and look forward to their friendships. The international connection was the biggest surprise of all. We really are a small world after all.
--Short posts are better than long. I had chosen a topic that didn't require a large amount of writing and the subject matter was mostly light. It allowed people to pop in and out quickly. I found that I glazed over reading posts that were too long. However, having said that, I will say there were several sites that were so interesting, I plan to revisit the posts I missed, for instance, Margot's A Devotional Mosaic. So my comment here is this: if you have a lot to say, make sure it is tightly written and the material is unique.
--I do have something to say. I found validation as a writer. I am a published writer, but it's been a while (okay, a long while). Blogging has been a fantastic way to hone my writing skills and an opportunity to write fresh material. I'm editing my novel, so writing something new has been wonderful. 
--I am more focused and organized: More than ever before, I am excited about my writing career. While writing my A-Z posts, I was also able to fine tune my blog, organize my pages and links, and think about my writing goals beyond the blog. I feel I have new direction and enthusiasm. In part, I have the A-Z bloggers to thank for this. Their encouragement to other writers has been a huge benefit.   

So congratulations again to everyone who made the A-Z Challenge possible. I am in your debt and hope to see you around for many years to come!

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing