Reflections #AtoZChallenge 2019

I am a survivor! I completed this year's A to Z Challenge without missing a single day (except Sundays of course). There are 26 posts on my blog in April 2019, that vouch for this achievement. This was my third year in the challenge. Third consecutive year! And I am happy to report that I have now completed the challenge in all 3 years. But the third time, it is always tough. This year was really challenging because I had to get a surgery done at the start of the second week in April. I was unconscious for a large part of the second Monday of the month. And I still managed to write that day's post in a semi-dazed state, from my hospital bed. The post was about religion and Gods in Hindi Films / Bollywood. Post surgery, I was mostly tied to my bed and was in pain for almost a week. But there were those time slots every day, when painkillers were doing a great job, and when I was able to think straight and write.

The reflection post is an A to Z Challenge tradition. It helps the participants to look back at what worked and what didn't. It is also an opportunity to thank those who supported and encouraged during the challenge.

I would like to thank all my family members, friends and fellow bloggers who encouraged me by leaving their comments on my posts and sharing my posts with others. This year my challenge was based on a tight theme, and not on personal experiences or anecdotes, like last two years. This made me research a lot about the topics I was writing on and in the process I did learn some new stuff. I loved this aspect about the challenge this year. I wasn't very happy with my post from the letter V. While it had all the elements of a good post, it lacked a cohesive structure. I wish I could go back in time and make some changes in it.

There were good moments too. My mother read all my posts regularly. And that was exciting. While most friends shared their comments on Facebook, there were few who commented on blog posts as well. The comment I got from Melanie on 'letter F' post was detailed and heartfelt. Also I discovered a new blog, authored by Vidya, which is really interesting. I think I will keep going back to it.

Among my challenge posts my personal favorites are the ones on 'Occupations in Bollywood' and 'Parallel Comedy Tracks in Hindi Films.' I felt really happy after writing them, as not only I learnt something new while doing research for them, but also both posts were structurally very near to what I wanted.

Now its time to complete my reading goals for the year. I have already finished reading 8 books this year. While three of them were already reviewed on this blog, you can expect more book reviews soon on the blog. I am definitely going to do this blogging challenge again, with a fresh theme next year. What do you think I should be writing about in next April A - Z blogging challenge?

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge was Hindi Film Industry / Bollywood cliches. You can read all the posts from this challenge here. 

My theme for 2018's #AtoZchallenge was Listicles - Stories, anecdotes and observations from our daily lives in form of easy-to-read lists. You can read all the posts from this challenge here.

My theme for 2017's #AtoZchallenge was Anecdotes & Stories from my Life. You can read all the posts from this challenge here.