So what is ‘My Personal A to Z Challenge’?

It’s a simple idea designed to give you the freedom to get personal about your chosen topic by writing about what matters to you.

Each blogger writes a series of blog posts, using each letter of the alphabet in turn, to write about a topic related to the focus of their blog. The idea is to share information, photos, stories, anything you like about your chosen subject, and to link up with other similar posts by other bloggers.

Here are a couple of example posts for you:

A is for Avocado

B is for Beaches

Brilliant idea – how do I join?

Simple – just choose the topic you want to write about and register your personal A to Z on this blog.

You could start by explaining what your personal A to Z is all about – you can look at Alyson’s introductory post here.

You could even create a new page on your blog about the project which will help your readers find you’re a to Z posts – you can see Tracey Hand’s here.

And then create your first post ‘A is for..’ and off you go!

Do I have to start with the letter A?

No, of course not. If you’re itching to write about your ‘J is for…’ topic and can’t make your mind up about what ‘A is for…’, go for it. Remember, it’s a personal A to Z challenge so you do it your way. Just make sure you upload an excerpt of your post so we can find it.

Do I have to set up a new blog?

No, not at all. Your personal A to Z will most likely be about something that fits in with the topic of your blog so just make sure you tag and link well within your blog so that people can find your posts.

I want to do the challenge about something totally unrelated to my blog. What can I do?

You’ve got several options:

1. You could consider setting up and maintaining a new blog.

2. You could do it on this site! Publish your full A to Z posts through your profile with a link back to your blog at the end. You can point people to your very own growing list of A to Z posts within My A to Z Challenge hub site. Click here for an example of how your page might look to others. The only difference would be that when people click to continue reading, they’d see the full post, not an excerpt.

3. You could check out the participating bloggers or  Love All Blogs to find someone who already blogs about that subject who would be happy to host your personal A to Z as a series of guest posts.

How do I link up with others?

When you write a new post why not check out the other posts already listed for that letter of the alphabet and add some links to related, or simply fabulous, posts at the end of your post, for example:

“If you have enjoyed this post,  you may also enjoy reading…” – that kind of thing.

Other bloggers may well also add your links to their posts – and that way we can all promote each other.

How will I know when other bloggers have added new blogs and posts to your site?

There are loads of ways you can find out. Sign up by email to get notification of new posts. Join our Facebook group, ’like’ our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @myatozchallenge.

How will using this website help promote my blog?

We will add you to the blogroll so that people can find you by the topic of your blog. You can upload excerpts of your posts which will link directly back to your blog and encourage people to comment there.

You can get together with other bloggers who are doing the challenge to set up blog hops.

We’ll automatically share your posts on Twitter and Facebook and encourage other bloggers to retweet, share and link to them so we’re all sharing the love.

You can join our Facebook group page and get to know the growing network of  My Personal A to Z Challenge bloggers.

Are there any badges?

Yes, several, take your pick from the available badges.

You can add a My A to Z Challenge badge to your site and link it back to this website so that your readers can see that you are taking part in the challenge.

You could even use a category-related badge to link to your Personal A to Z Challenge  posts within your blog.

Is there any time limit to this?

No! Definitely not! Take as long as you want to complete your alphabet and let it fit around your other blog posts and commitments.

Many of us are finding this is giving us a great focus for our blog posts – and encouraging us to blog more often – you have been warned!

Someone has already used my idea for a letter

No problem. You can still blog about your idea – we are all different and you are bound to have a different perspective and approach to a theme.

Is there a format for the posts?

No. You decide what ‘fits’ your blog and style. You could do a ‘photo journal’, write a story, draw or add an illustration, add a photograph (or ten!) or interview someone… it is entirely up to you.

Can I re-use a letter again? – I have so many things I want to write about!

Of course! There are no ‘rules’ here – feel free to enjoy this project and adapt it if you want to.

What about adding old posts?

The idea of this challenge is to encourage you to write new posts, and give you a focus for them. But if, for example, you’ve just published a brilliant post that you think would be a perfect ‘F is for…’ post, you could use that. At the end of the day, it’s a personal challenge for you to adapt to best suit your blog.

Why have some authors got a photo but I’ve only got a graphic?

They’ve got a Gravatar, which is an online profile with your photo, a short bio, and any links and email addresses you care to make public. You can see mine for an example (ignore the fact that some of it’s in Portuguese) and set up your own from the Gravatar homepage if you like.

If you have a Gravatar, when someone hovers the mouse over your photo, a box appears with a summary of your details and a link to your complete profile so it’s a good idea to have one.

If your question isn’t covered here, just ask us by leaving a comment below or via the Facebook group.