Monday 5 May 2014

My A-to-Z Story :)











Here we are, the alphabet pals,
We travelled together , guys and gals,
A month long journey through the letters with fun,
In twenty-six days , we got the job done !

Stories, poems, musings galore,
Each day saw us yearning for more,
Never did it seem a boring chore,
We met, loved, supported our friends we adore !

This blog saw a story in parts,
Which was, of course, meant to invade the hearts :)
It stirred a soul or not, I can never claim,
But they told me it was loved, all the same !!

Also born here were , flash fictions and drabbles
Which , I admit, were more of scrabbles :P
Yet they brought me so much of love,
That, I believe, is a blessing from above !

Oh My ! What a sweet month was that,
And it leaves us all, wearing the top hat !
Crowning us all , with the survivors’ aura,
And bringing with it, happy moments, plethora !!

As we bid adieu to ‘ A to Z ’,
We’re sure , not going to put it to bed,
We’re waiting for the seasons to come a full round,
And bless us again with the challenge, so renowned !!

That pretty much sums up my feelings, as I sit down to pen the ‘reflections’ post.

Needless to say, this has been a beautiful month, as much in terms of enjoyment as in terms of creativity.
We all have enjoyed the ‘A-to-Z’ challenge immensely...
for the adrenaline rush that it triggered in us.....
for the ideas it put into our heads....
for the wonderful pieces of writing that enriched our days and filled our moments with so much fun...
for the new friends we made.....
for the friendships we strengthened....
for those wonderful moments of support we received...
for the smiles that lit up our lips when we read a beautiful comment....
for the camaraderie that flowered everywhere…

On the personal front, this gave me a chance to explore more into whatever little talent I possess with the words.
I had promised to write a ‘Serial Story’ and a ‘Random Post’ per letter, which meant I was literally throwing myself into the challenging waves with two posts per day.
I tried scheduling some posts, but I found that some sort of  ‘Inverse Zeigarnik effect’ was troubling me, because even after scheduling, I kept thinking of how to improve them, rather than dwelling on the ‘posts to be’. This wasn’t helping, so I resorted to writing and scheduling just ‘a day in advance’, so that it didn’t leave me much time to think of what I’d already written.

Moreover, my serial story was gaining flesh and blood with every moment of thought , so I had to have some time for minor alterations in the plot. Hence I thought, writing daily would be a better choice.

I’m happy  that I could do both posts per day, as I’d wanted to, and come out of it unscathed :D

On the blog hopping front, I utilized early morning hours and covered some bookmarked blogs every day. The rest of them are being covered now.
I’m sure everyone out there is doing the same, catching up with all the wonderful blogs .
We’re here to support each other and win, and every visit makes us happy !

Some of us were new to the blog world, some of us were debutants at the challenge, many of us were confused and most of us were doubtful if we would ever complete it.
There were many moments of self-doubt, or instances of diminishing interest.
But none of this stopped us from going on with the challenge, did it ?

Many of us were writing on chosen themes, which were as varied as they could ever be  and many of us were writing at random.
Either way, it was a ‘heart-and-soul’ effort for all of us, was it not ?

So, what are we waiting for ? Let’s celebrate !

We’re the happy Survivors of the challenge !

Congratulations to all those who entered and came out of the maze !

A big THANK YOU to the teams behind the A to Z, who worked behind the scenes to make it a grand success. You inspire us in more ways than one !

And a big HUG to all those who entered, but couldn't make it, for some reason or the other .
Never mind the challenge, there's always a next time here.
We're always there for you, you're special to us in all ways !!

There were many visitors, both participants and non-participating supporters, and most of them left good comments here :) Though I’ve not replied to the comments, I sure will :)
Every visit, every comment is important to us bloggers, and it helps us grow, as writers, bloggers and as individuals !

Thanks for all the support and love !

The challenge yet again proves that we can achieve anything that  we want, come hell or high water !

Let’s keep up the spirit of togetherness in the days to come, and support each other and grow together in this wonderful world that’s the blogosphere !
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Linking this to A to Z Reflections at A to Z.



 

51 comments:

  1. A big congratulations, Sreeja. It's a great feat in-spite of the doubts and deadlines.

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    1. Thanks, Kalpana ji :) We missed you this A to Z :)

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  2. Congratulations Sreeja :) I loved your random posts which were very creative. It taught me a new perspective of writing which I even tried once :) Couldn't read serial story though but will read it soon when I find time :) It was a wonderful experience connecting with you :) Hope to keep in touch even now after this challenge has ended. And did I mention the poem is beautiful? ;)

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    1. Awiee :) That's a sweet thing to say, Swathi :) Hope to keep in touch with you too !
      Yeah, finally you mentioned the poem :P

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  3. COngrats Sreeja! YOu say you've little talent! That's being modest! I think you've an amazing flair with words! YOu're an amazing story teller! AM so glad to have met and known you especially through this challenge! Hoping to see more stories unfold in the time to come!

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    1. Wow ! Thanks for the nice words, Danny . I'm humbled beyond words !! I'm happy to have met n known you too.... A to Z is just a beginning !!

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  4. That poem aptly sums up the April journey which was filled with so many exciting, interesting and insightful moments! Enjoyed reading your Drabbles from A to Z! Very creative you are and you truly have a way with words! Congratulations for acing this challenge, Sreeja :) ♥

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    1. Thanks a lot, Shilpa ji, for all the love, support and encouragement !

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  5. This is an awesome write up. The journey and after thoughts - both are bfully expressed! Congratulations :-)

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    1. Thanks a lot, Shesha :) I'm catching up with your A to Z Posts ! Thanks for the support n encouragement !

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  6. Congrats on completing the challenge Sreeja! I'm so glad to have come across your blog thanks to this challenge. I'm gonna be your number one follower now! :)

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    1. Congrats to u too, dear !! Same here, happy to know you through A to Z :) So sweet of you to say that ! I'm a LOL fan too :)

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  7. amazing poem that sums up what we all went through!! and u did very well Sreeja, writing two posts in a day is not a joke at all..... i thoroughly enjoyed ur kept-me-guessing random posts and the twists with every episode in the story!! congrats on the achievement!! hip hip hurray!!

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    1. Hip Hip Hurray, Titli ! Thanks a lot for the constant support and encouragement :)

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  8. I absolutely loved your brilliant poem! Congratulations on completing the challenge! I thoroughly enjoyed all of your posts♥

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    1. Thanks a lot, Kathy :) I loved your giggles too !! :)

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  9. Hi!

    Congratulations on surviving this year's amazing A-Z Challenge! Hurrah! *fireworks*

    Nice poem, btw. *thumbs up!* Hope to see you in next year's yet another awesome A-Z Challenge!

    Happy blogging,
    Jane from the random world of Etcetera (lol)

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    1. Hi Jane, Welcome here :)
      Yup, Thanks a lot and congrats to u too :)

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  10. Such a lovely poem to sum up A-Z :) And you tackled both those themes extremely well. No, really! You're a writer, my dear. Loved reading your posts :)

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    1. Thank you sooo much for that dose of encouragement, not just now, but throughout my journey !

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  11. You did a fabulous job, Sreeja. I only wish I could have read more of your posts. Thank you for all your visits to both my blogs through the challenge. I really appreciate that. ♥

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    1. Awiee, Corinne :) Love you :) I'm yet to visit some of your last posts :) Shall be hopping over soon :)

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  12. What a wonderful reflection post, Sreeja! I loved the poem :) You really did a great job with two themes. I really enjoyed reading you and hope to continue the good practice of visiting your blog :)

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    1. Thanks a lot, Beloo Ma'm :) I loved your education series too. I havent commented much, becuase of G+ issues here, but I have loved every inch of it, and also your reflections post. Thanks for the support !! We'll surely stay connected !

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  13. Sreeja, ur beautiful poem paid a heartfelt tribute and ode to the bloggers and stories churned out in 26 days. I enjoyed ur posts.
    Cheerz

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    1. Thanks a lot, Vishal ! Cheers to your college days !!

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  14. We are indeed the alphabet pals!! It was an awesome journey and I'm glad we could complete it. You seem like a complete sweetheart, Sreeja. Hope to keep in touch :)

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    1. I am , Nisha ;) *wink wink* :D
      Sure, we'll stay connected !! So glad to be connected to the teeth that sparkle !:)

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  15. Sreeja Congrats for the SUCCESSFUL completion of the challenge. You had to face not one but two challenges. Your creativity is marvelous. I am proud to have such a sweet friend.

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    1. Thanks a lot for the very nice words, Usha Ma'm :) That's so valuable :)

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  16. You are awesome! Loved this reflection post and needless to say I loved all the 52 posts from you this April! Keep writing !! Congrats!

    Reflections on A2Z Challenge-Random Thoughts Naba

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    1. Thanks a lot, Naba :) Loved your emotions throughout ;)

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  17. Congratulations!!! I loved the way yu penned down reflections in the poem! Exact words that portrayed what everyone in the challenge went through!
    I loved the Random posts, although I couln't manage to read all, will surely read them now. Same goes for the Serial posts, I loved the story which waits to be completed and I'm off to read it now!! :)

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    1. Thanks, Nibhz :) You're no ' ordinary girl' as your diary says :P

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  18. first time visiting your blog :)
    wonderful reflection post,

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  19. It has always amazed me how a challenge of this magnitude inspires so many...including yours truly! Congratulations on completing the challenge! ♥

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  20. Congratulations on completing the challenge!! Enjoyed doing it along side you. :D

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    1. Congos to you too, Kathy :) Loved your creative posts !

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  21. This is reflection of a different kind at a new level. I really enjoyed your drabbles and learnt a trick or two. Congratulations on continuing with two blogs !! That was awesome.

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    1. Thanks a lot for the constant support, Jayanta ji :) I'm looking forward to your drabbles, as you'd promised me :)

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  22. Hey, I nominated u for bunch of awards and follow link, http://thealertmind.blogspot.com

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  23. My bad! It's http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/quintet-of-radiance-award/

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    1. Thanks a lot, Vishal :) Shall get back to you on that :)

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  24. Loved the poem Sreeja.. Loved you through this journey. A big congratulations and a lots of hugs to you too :)

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    1. Woohoo.. we did it, didn't we ! Thanks, Jyotsna :)

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  25. That is a lovely post and a super poem...i can see you thoroughly enjoyed the challenge :) I have not dared to venture into even one challenge yet :) hope to do so in the future though :) good for you ...am glad you completed it.

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    1. Oh, You MUST, dear :) This is exciting and addictive :) Thanks a lot :) We're doing it together the next time, Deal ?

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    2. oh...thanks a lot!! :) will give it some thought...would love to :)

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  26. Hello there.
    Congratulations on completing the challenge! Thanks for sharing. I'm just stopping by briefly as I drive around on the 2014 A-Z Road Trip…don't forget to wave when you see me go by! (lol)

    Entrepreneurial Goddess

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Speak to me here :) :)