I did it. I completed the AtoZChallenge. 26 blog posts, moving through the alphabet. Not only that, but I managed to include a blog on Sunday – a rest day during the challenge – so I was very happy with the way it went.
What did this mean? Well, technically nothing. It was a good exercise for my blog. Getting some posts up and some fresh content added, after what had been a few slow months.
I have not actually seen any improvement in my stats. They have remained constant, which is good, but they are no better after April when I posted daily than they were in January and February when I posted regularly, but far from daily. This leads me to believe daily posts have no real benefit, and if anything may be detrimental to the growth of a blog. At least one that is writing-centric.
After all, that should be the purpose of this blog. To promote me and my writing. Something I find easy to lose sight of. I tried hard to make every post last month writing related, in some way, and feel I did a pretty good job on it.
That being said, I did not link to any of my books, not once. It was a missed opportunity, but my mind has not really been focused on selling books for a long time. That, however, is a different post entirely.
The question you are probably asking yourself, if you are actually still reading, is, why am I posting the first day after the challenge ended, when I just said that I saw no benefit in doing so. The answer is simple. I didn’t come to this conclusion until after I started writing the post.
It will be my last ‘daily’ post, unless something significant happens that warrants a break in whatever random schedule I decide to stick with.
The AtoZChallenge was fun, but ultimately it was a failure, if you ask me. I picked up new followers, but no new comments or engagement. No more than any other month, even the months when I don’t post anything. On top of this, it took my time away from writing what I am supposed to be writing… fiction.
I want to spend May focusing on my fiction. I’ve produced nothing this year. Lots of false starts and wastes of time, but nothing else. I have a new novel in mind, and research has been quite fruitful, so I think May is the time where I start to sketch out a rough idea, which I am going to need on this one. Certainly at the start. There is a large web that must be spun to build up the players in my game.
You can expect a few promotional posts coming through in the coming weeks, as I need to try and get this blog back on track.
To those that stuck with me through April, thank you so much, your comments and support of links across social media were very much appreciated. To those that are new, or are reading for the first time. Welcome. Come on in, take a seat and enjoy yourselves. I don’t bite… much.
Official Site of Alex Laybourne - Author 
Grats, Alex, it’s not easy coming up with something every day. And thanks for sharing your results with us. Heaven only knows what the ‘right’ way to blog may be. Perhaps we just have to enjoy what we’re doing and hope that others eventually join in. At least that’s what I’m going to do. Life’s too short for anything else!
My thoughts exactly! I completed my third A-Z Challenge this year, and for me it was an exercise in continued daily writing. I find it very easy to slack off and be distracted by my children and family commitments, and so committing to the challenge kept me business focused. My reader engagement didn’t see any massive improvement, but I came away with a good sense of personal satisfaction, and even a few new ideas for my fiction writing. And I have to say, Alex, I did enjoy Brother Jack’s posts… 😉