B is for Blog Challenge

Today is April 2, 2024, meaning Day 2 of the April A to Z Blog Challenge. The letter of the day is B, so I think it’s a good opportunity to discuss blogging—more specifically, why I’m doing this challenge.

I had never heard of this challenge before, and I came across it purely by accident when someone posted about it in a private Facebook group. Torie Lennox is my pen name for the paranormal genre, and I’ve only somewhat recently launched the account, slowly ramping it up across social media.

I had a blog under my real name for a little while many years ago, but it wasn’t the right time in my life for that, and I’ve been busy penning novels, ghostwriting, and copywriting ever since. I had a blog and newsletter in my plans, but had not yet pulled the trigger since I was focusing on my social media platforms.

Then I heard about the challenge—and it intrigued me. There was only one big problem:

I only found out about it a few days before the theme post reveal cutoff of March 16.

To Blog or Not to Blog . . .

So, I had a big decision to make. First, was I ready to commit to a blog? I considered the frequency and decided that I could at least commit to one post per month, though I will do more if I can. It’s probably not much, but it’s a start, especially considering I would be jumping in sooner than anticipated.

Then I had to figure out what my blog would be about . . . well, that one was pretty easy. Paranormal fiction, of course! There are lots of opportunities available for interesting discussions. My blog challenge theme would be along those same lines, but I needed to be a little more specific. Within my April posts regarding general paranormal things, I would include spotlights and other information regarding my upcoming book, Capturing the Wylde Wolf (which is part one of a duology). Then I could expand on some of these posts in the future.

I was ready to commit. I was ready to make a spreadsheet to track everyone else’s blogs who are participating (making a copy of the list, then adding columns as needed) and ensure I comment on one post per week minimum for every blog (as much as I would like, getting to over 70 blogs every day is just not feasible right now with all my other obligations), though I would read every post.

Making a List, Checking it Thrice

Next, I needed to ensure I could come up with 26 theme-related posts. I got out a notebook and made a list. I started with the easy ones—adding my characters by their first names—to see what letters I had left. Then I went through the list again with any paranormal keywords that immediately came to mind. And then I had to start getting creative. By the end of my third pass (several hours later), I finally had an acceptable set of 26 topics.

Theme Reveal Issues

Once I was confident I could do the challenge, I then had to hurry to get a theme reveal post written so I could join in. While the reveal is not required, it is apparently a tradition, and I wanted to get going on the right foot. So I wrote up the post, edited it, and then went into my website to copy/paste the info in. Easy, right?

Wrong.

I did not set up this website. My personal website for my business is much simpler. The one for Torie Lennox has a LOT more features and options, none of which I was familiar with. I had the basics down, but little else since the site had taken a back seat in my priorities due to unexpected life circumstances.

I created a post in what I thought was the correct way, but the page never showed up. I tried again. Nothing. After HOURS of toying with settings, I was frustrated and stressed that I wouldn’t get the theme up in time. Instead of giving up hope, I clicked on the link to the sign-up sheet.

Time to Sign Up!

The form specifically stated to link directly to the post, not the main website, but the only place I could get the post to show was on the main page. I left a note that I was still trying to fix it and hoped for the best. Then I had to enter the name of my blog . . . THE NAME! How could I have forgotten to name the blog?!

I pondered and puzzled, contemplated and deliberated. But within a short time, I had it—and POSITIVELY PARANORMAL was born.

Now What?

For the next two days off and on, I fought with the website, Googled a lot, and tried not to get too stressed out. Then it happened! I figured it out! But I had a new problem.

If I took the post off the main page, then the link I had submitted to the form would be wrong (slaps forehead comically). It was the 15^th, and I was out of time. What could I do? I left the post in both places and submitted another form, assuming the first was probably rejected since I couldn’t technically follow their directions. On the 16^th, I waited.

Finally, I checked back and saw my name on the form! HOORAY!!!

The next step was to make a copy of the list (adding any that showed up later) and start adding my columns for tracking. When I went back later that evening, I saw more names added, so I copied them to my list. As I started going through them one by one, going to their theme reveals and leaving comments (which would take days to get through), I reached my name . . . TWICE.

Apparently, the lovely team running this whole challenge approved my first request, and then my second one went through. So, I’m the one who ended up on there twice. Sigh.

All of that being said, here it is, Day 2, and I’m rockin’ and rollin’.

And a HUGE thank you to the A to Z team for helping a girl out who just wanted to join a blog hop.

Tell me below if you’ve ever had this much challenge trying to do what should have been a simple set of tasks.

See you all tomorrow for Day 3 (here’s a sneak peek at the title: C is for Cthulhu the Pomeranian)!