I joined the A-Z Challenge as a way to get back into blogging. Since returning from Rome, I’d lost interest and couldn’t rustle up any enthusiasm for it. Once I’d committed to the idea, however, I thought, ‘Aha!’ (As in a sudden realisation, not as in the lovely 80s band. Although, to be honest, I do quite often think about Morten Harket, who has aged remarkably well.)

Anyway, I thought, ‘Aha! This might also help me develop a huge new readership. Almost 2000 bloggers take part in the Challenge. If I could attract a few of their readers, I could become a force to compete with the likes of Zoellla or Perez Hilton, making thousands of pounds each month, enabling me to give up work and spend my days in my PJs, tapping away on my keyboard in-between fielding phone interviews from the Times and lunch meetings with sponsors.’ Then I rubbed my hands together and laughed loudly in the usual evil baddie manner.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. I think many of my normal (not huge, but not too embarrassingly small*) readership has been put off by the daily posts – ‘Bloody hell, not HER again!’ – and are keeping away. I usually publicise my posts on my Facebook account and I haven’t been doing that because I was a bit worried about finding myself with zero friends at the end of the month. I haven’t quite got the hang of Twitter or Instagram or any of the other social media names that my children bandy about (and then roll their eyes when I haven’t heard of them) so the social media avenue is closed to me. I was starting to think that instead of adding to Barbed Word’s success, the A-Z Challenge would result in its demise.**
But that was until yesterday, when I made the genius decision to include a cat in my post. Along with a super cute picture. Wayhay! Double the number of visitors! Who knew that the key to my success lay in cat lovers??*** So from now on, whatever I’m blogging about, I will cram a cat into it somehow. Cat. Cat. Cat. I love cats! And here is today’s cat picture:

*This refers to the size of the readership, not the size of the individual readers.
** I heard someone on the radio last week who pronounced this word, ‘Deemeese’. Anyone else do this?? He was extremely posh if that explains anything.
*** I do actually love cats so I don’t feel I’m exploiting their owners too badly…
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Brilliant idea! Cute kitten faces are the best … and videos of their remarkably stupid antics.
… oops, I just got a look from my cat Theo. Apparently he didn’t appreciate the last remark 😉
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I love watching videos of cats getting stuck in boxes or trapped in slinkies…but my all time favourite video is cats being scared by cucumbers! Just hysterical!!
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ohhh – I don’t like the cucumbers ones. They’re kind of cruel. The poor cats think it’s a snake 😦
I like it better when they get themselves into trouble 🙂
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I always wondered if that’s what they thought it was. Ok, I’ll stop sniggering 🙂
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Heh. People can’t resist the cute cat photos! I go in spurts with my blogging, too. A to Z is a great way to get back into it.
@ShonnaSlayton from
Author Shonna Slayton: A to Z of the 1800s
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It’s a great, but very intense, way to get back into blogging!!
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Don’t we all want to tap-tap-tapping away in our PJs at home. Well, someday. 😀
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Yep, someday!!
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I, for one, am glad to see that you’re back blogging again. Feel free to post all the kitty photos you like, but don’t forget about us dog lovers. 🙂
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Damn, I missed D for Dog! May S can be for Snoopy?? 🙂
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It’s hard to hit the optimum number of blog posts; too many and people lose interest, too few and they forget who you are. But you are right that cute animal pics always help. Babies too. And sex always sells. 🙂 🙂
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Hmmm, cute animal pics I can manage. Babies too. But sex?? Nah, that ship has sailed… 😉
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Sad about that ship sailing. For balance you must include a cute puppy now &then
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I’m working on how to include a cute puppy on my life at the moment…
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Haha. Only cat loving followers are good followers 😉
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Yes, I should count each cat loving follower twice!
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😻
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Ooooh, a very cute cat. I think some study has been done somewhere about the huge percentage of the internet that is taken up with pictures and videos of cats! I saw a great one the other day with a cat and a little chick…
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Yes, isn’t the internet 90% cats and porn?? (although not usually together…)
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