A to Z Challenge - the reflections

April was the A to Z Blogging Challenge, and I'm very proud to say I made it to the end!

For those who haven't read my blog, for the challenge I decided to stitch the Doctor Who Alphabet of Quotes, sharing each letter each day as I stitched it.  I also shared 26 of my Harry Potter cross stitch figurines.  The finished piece/s can be found here.

For me, the blogging challenge was a real challenge: I'm not a regular blogger - I'm proud of myself if I can post once a week, let alone more regularly than that.  Finding the time to blog (as well as working out what to say) always seems to take me so much longer than I thought it would.  I don't know whether it's because I want the blog to be 'perfect' (right formatting, right links, right photos) or if it's because I don't think anyone is interested in what I have to say, or if it's something else entirely.  Probably a combination of all three.  So posting everyday by a specific time (that's my OCD coming through) was a push, and I'm pleased to say that despite going overseas for a week in the middle of the challenge, I managed it on all but maybe one occasion.  Go me!

It was exhausting though, and I've taken the last few days off blogging and just sat and stared at the wall instead of at the computer screen.  My blogging regularity will probably drop again for awhile, but I'm hoping to be a little more regular with my posts in the future - at least once a week anyway!

This challenge taught me a lot: it taught me that my blog doesn't have to look perfect before it is published (you'd have thought I learnt that back here, but apparently it didn't stick); it taught me that I actually have plenty to say (my family would say I should have learnt that years and years ago); it taught me that there are lots of people out there who share similar ideas and thoughts, and who do want to read what I have to say; and it taught me that it doesn't matter if only a handful of people read my blog - I'm writing this not just for them, but for me too.

Through the challenge I met some amazing bloggers and fellow stitchers.  I met people who were stitching my designs, and people who were stitching some awesome other designs.  I met people who are just as big a geek as I am, and who proudly let their geek flag fly.  I met people whose blogs I wouldn't have otherwise sought out - photographers, artists, travellers, writers, readers.

I will put my hand up and say that I didn't read anywhere near as many blogs as I planned.  There were many days when I was struggling to just get my own blog posted, let alone read anyone else's.  One of the things I am looking forward to over the next few moths is going back through the list on the A To Z blog and finding new blogs to read.

Will I do the challenge again? Absolutely!  I've already started thinking about topics for next time - so much so that maybe I'll do another A to Z blog series before the end of the year, although probably not 26 in 30 days!

Happy Stitching, and Happy Blogging!