#AtoZChallenge – Monty’s Blahg

My 2nd A to Z Challenge Reflection (#AtoZ)

This was my second year doing the A to Z challenge and I’m two for two in terms of completion rate. This year’s theme was literary devices which proved to be an excellent platform for learning and practicing some new techniques. Some of them better executed then others but all in good fun.

In addition to my literary theme I also incorporated a visual element where I created “found patterns” from each letter of the alphabet.

Overall my views for April (all posts not just #AtoZ were down vs. last year (1368 vs. 1703). This is on trend with my overall viewership which has been decreasing. My guess is that this is due to a general transition of my prospective readers from living mostly on-line to getting back to the “real” world.

Three Most Popular Post (by views):

#1: A is for Alliteration (40 views)

#2: B is for Bathos (37 views)

#3: C is for Catachresis (24 views)

Most Overlooked Post (by views):

Z is for Zoomorphism (5 views)

A to Z Blogs I Read Regularly:

I was sad to see that a lot of my “regulars” did not participate this year, but happy to have read all the contributions from:

MidLife Cat Lady

The Dream Girl Writes

This is Another Story

Brewing Coffee Twisting Words Breaking Pencils

Christina Dankert

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Hope you all enjoyed this series and for those of you participating, congratulations no matter how far you made it through. I expect to participate next year, but hope to see you before that. Don’t be shy to stop by once in a while. I’ve yet to figure out what my next project will be, but I look forward to figuring it out.

Be well,

Monty

My First A to Z Challenge Anniversary: Now We’ve Gone From A to Z…

On this anniversary of my first A to Z challenge, I’m posting each of the illustrated “seriously silly poems” from my book Apples Eating Zebras and other seriously silly poetry — a carefully edited and polished compilation of my A to Z posts from last year. Enjoy!

Pick up a copy of this silly collection dedicated to the child in all of us and enjoy with a loved one.

Be well,

Monty

Z is for Zoomorphism

Zoomorphism is a literary technique in which animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects, humans, and events.
literarydevices.net

Well look at that. We’ve come all the way from A to Z. I’ve been quite the busy bee. And with that…see you next year!

Thanks to all of you that stuck around through the series (or just popped in once in awhile). It’s been a fun and informative challenge for me. I hope you enjoyed and would love to hear your thoughts.

Be well,

My First A to Z Challenge Anniversary: Z is for ‘Zig-Zag’

Z is for ‘Zig-Zag’

Stay tuned for more silly poetry from A to Z!

Pick up a copy of this silly collection dedicated to the child in all of us and enjoy with a loved one. Or stick around as I’ll continue posting each illustrated poem one letter at a time throughout the month of April. Have fun and stay silly!

Be well,

Monty

Y is for hYpophora

A figure of speech, hYpophoria is when a writer raises a question, and then immediately provides an answer to that question.
literarydevices.net

Well, well, well. What a perfect literary device for the writer who knows everything…haha. Just kidding. Let’s give this a whirl.

Is feeling angry bad? No, it doesn’t have to be. There is nothing right or wrong about a feeling. We don’t have control over our feelings and if we are angry it doesn’t make sense to try to deny it. I would suggest that any feeling, whether positive or negative, can be a source of good (or bad) depending on how we behave in response to them. If we are feeling angry, it’s usually going to go badly if we just lash out and act irrationally in response. But if pause and consider why we are angry and behave in response to that reflection, it can result in a good thing. It is perfectly appropriate to be angry when someone is taking advantage of us. But if don’t take the time to reflect and do something productive to rectify the situation, then nothing positive comes of it. This doesn’t mean we should never express our anger. Sometimes a passionate expression of anger is productive. The key is to do it with intention vs. an irrational response where we are out of control.

This question can also be flipped and we can ask if feeling happy is good? The answer is yes, but not always. If we behave self-destructively just to feel happy in a moment it is very bad.

In conclusion, feelings are neither bad nor good. It all comes down to how we behave in relation to those feelings. And that’s a good thing because although we may not be able to choose our feelings, we can always choose our behaviors.

Be well,

My First A to Z Challenge Anniversary: Y is for ‘You’

Y is for ‘You’

Stay tuned for more silly poetry from A to Z!

Be well,

Monty

X is for eXpletive

Expletive is a grammatical construction that starts with words like it, here, and there. It does not contribute to the meaning of a sentence but serves to create emphasis.
literarydevices.net

Ok, this is NOT the expletive that I was thinking when I first selected it. Frankly it doesn’t seem like it will be as much fun either, but let’s give it a chance.

Here is the truth. The honest to god truth. I did not, could not kill the cat in the hat. Frankly he was much too fast and I much too fat.

— The Dog

Be well,

My First A to Z Challenge Anniversary: X is for ‘X (Marks the Spot)’

X is for ‘X (Marks the Spot)’

Stay tuned for more silly poetry from A to Z!

Be well,

Monty

W is for Wit

Wit is a clever expression of thought intended to make readers laugh.
literarydevices.net

Oh no. No. No. No. This is dangerous ground. Asking an almost fifty year old dad who already thinks he’s pretty clever to be witty is asking for trouble. It’s also terrifying. Saying your going to write something witty is totally setting oneself up for failure. It raises expectations when wit, at least my attempts at it, comes from an element of surprise (to both the audience and myself, usually). I’m gonna have to stew on this one a bit.

To Wit or Not to Wit?

To wit or not to wit? A Shakespearean-like question that calls upon me ironically. For if I were to wit declaratively I’d fail like a miserable twit most certainly. Not witty you’d say (quite correctly). Yet if I refuse to wit, I’d be a true twit most honestly. Not witty you’d say (again correctly). So twit if I do and twit if I don’t. There is no witty answer to this question.

Is there a literary device that describes what a writer does when he thinks he is too clever? If not, there should be (perhaps it could even be named after me?).