My thoughts on A2Z Challenge 2020

When I signed up for the A2Z Challenge in 2020, life was chaotic and turbulent. With the Covid-19 pandemic engulfing our lives, it wasn’t easy being a doctor’s wife. When my husband was away on the emergency duty, it was difficult to balance the role of a mother to a 4.6-year-old, take care of my aging in-laws at home and continue working on my MFA creating writing assignments. By registering for the challenge, I was taking up the humongous tasks of writing and reading multiple posts daily on myself. Yet, the thrill of participating for the third time outweighed all the hurdles. I promised myself that the day the challenge became overwhelming, I would quit at that moment. It took away a lot of unnecessary pressure and let me write with ease.

In 2018, I wrote non-fiction posts on various aspects of my home state, West Bengal under the theme of ‘A dollop of Bengal.’

In 2019, I shared my real-life experiences related to the process of school admissions for my then 3.5-year-old son, Tuneer under the theme ‘Sagas of surviving a toddler’s school admission procedures.‘

In 2020, I thought of bringing some relief to the anxiety and stress around us by speaking about Indian stand-up comedians and comedy channels on YouTube under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’

My posts were about a bunch of versatile and talented performers who use humor to spread happiness, social awareness, make political satires, draw comedy sketches, and much more. At the end of each post, I added a link to one of my favorite videos by the artist to ensure that anyone who read my post left the page with a smile on their face. And while I was drafting these pieces and watching these videos before choosing one for my posts, my stress reduced because of my daily dose of laughter.

Amidst household chores, playing the role of a caregiver, and juggling weekly assignments, I finished publishing 26 posts on schedule for the third time in a row. I read 25-30 posts on a daily average and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with my fellow bloggers. I must admit that it is writing that kept me going through a difficult month.

Heartfelt gratitude to the team of International A2Z challenge, Blogchatter, and my fellow writers for being a part of my April journey this year. I hope to return next year with a new theme and renewed energy.

Author: Sonia Chatterjee

Who am I? An erstwhile banker turned blogger/writer/author. Any qualifications? A Post-Graduate degree in Chemistry followed by a second Post-Graduate Diploma in Management. I completed a one-year MFA in creative writing course from the Writer's Village University, U.S. in Dec 2020. Though I must admit that I am still trying to figure out how and when I can connect all these dots. Have I done any real work? If two years in market research, six years in banking as a branch head, three-plus years of blogging, writing, and publishing a book can be considered as real work, then yes! Where do I live? After spending life like a nomad for sixteen years in Delhi, Bangalore & Mysore, I am back to where it all started from - Kolkata. My favorite things - Books, coffee, travel, food, and my five-year-old son. What is this blog about? Through Sonia's musings, I intend to explore writing in various genres, create social awareness, spread laughter, and give words to emotions. Anything for readers? You can check out my book 'Deal of Death' on Amazon Kindle. If you like fast-paced thrillers, this Detective fiction introducing the woman sleuth, Raya Ray could turn out to be your perfect weekend read.

33 thoughts on “My thoughts on A2Z Challenge 2020”

  1. Congratulations, Sonia! I totally agree with you that participating in the Challenge kept me going during this very difficult time. I discovered your blog late in the month and now I need to go back and read all your posts. I miss a lot because of my schoolgirl Hindi, but watching the stand-up will motivate me to improve! All the best and I will return.

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  5. Yes your daily dose of laughter was a welcome relief from the daily dose of Coronanews . Unfortunately I couldn’t listen to all your links because my grand daughter took up my time with the rest of the housework . But the ones I saw were really fun . See you next year .

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  6. Congratulations Sonia… Your posts were just what was needed in this lock down and your reflections post is equally inspirational :)! I am going to read your other entries of A2Z challenge of earlier years at ease too at leisure :)! Before that I plan to read your book 🙂

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  11. Thank you so much Sonia, for the laughs in the time of Corona Virus. I used to eagerly wait for your daily dose. Looking forward to hearing more from you. I would love to read your book ‘Deal of Death’.

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  12. Congratulations Sonia for having completed your challenge and completed it so well!
    The theme was cool and I enjoyed reading up on the standup kids on the block!!
    I have to go back and check out a couple of posts which I missed!
    And thanks for the shout out on twitter!! 🙂 🙂

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  13. Liked the way you have chosen the themes year after year.
    Being a new comer to this challenge – I got to learn about how the regulars at this challenge plan posts in advance.

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  14. Congratulations on completing the A to Z and also for the brilliant series. In the tough and stressful times and coping with the daily reading and writing, your posts were the much needed dose of laughter and stress buster. Looking forward to reading more

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