A to Z Challenge Reflections 2025

/ peckapalooza

Whew! What a month it’s been! As April comes to a close, I’m sitting here with a mixture of exhaustion, pride, and genuine disbelief that I’ve actually done it—I’ve written an entire novel in just 26 days as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

For those who haven’t been following along, the A to Z Challenge requires participants to post content on their blogs every day in April (except Sundays), with each post corresponding to a letter of the alphabet. While many bloggers choose to write thematic posts or short pieces, I decided to challenge myself by crafting a complete novel, with each day’s post serving as a chapter that built upon the previous entries.

The Birth of The Lost Letters

The Lost Letters began as a spark of an idea—a young girl discovering her magical heritage through letterkeeping, a form of magic that involves manipulating the inherent power of written language. I wanted to create a world where each letter of the alphabet held unique magical properties, making the A to Z format not just a challenge but an integral part of the storytelling itself.

The story follows Mira Quinn as she arrives at Everletter Academy, discovers her parents didn’t die but disappeared into the mysterious Letterscape, and embarks on a quest to recover seven lost letter components that will allow her to find them. Along the way, she confronts the academy’s headmaster, makes unexpected allies, and ultimately challenges an entire magical society built on artificial boundaries.

The Writing Process

I’ll be honest—this was much harder than I anticipated. Writing a novel-length story in just 26 days meant producing approximately 2,000-4,000 words daily, all while maintaining plot coherence, character development, and engaging prose. Some days I found myself writing well past midnight to ensure the next chapter would be ready for morning posting.

The unique structure presented specific challenges. Each chapter needed to:

  • Focus on the letter of the day
  • Advance the plot meaningfully
  • Stand somewhat on its own while building on previous chapters
  • End with enough intrigue to keep readers coming back

The most difficult letters were definitely Q, X, and Z. Finding ways to naturally incorporate these into the narrative without feeling forced took some creative gymnastics! For example, “Q is for Quest” seemed obvious at first, but then I had to ensure the entire chapter actually embodied that concept while still moving the story forward.

Reader Response

What truly kept me going through the late nights and occasional writer’s block was the amazing response from readers. Watching comments appear in real-time as people followed Mira’s journey through Everletter Academy gave me the motivation to keep pushing forward. Some of you even predicted plot developments before they happened, which both delighted and challenged me to keep things surprising!

I’m particularly grateful to those who took the time to offer constructive feedback on earlier chapters, allowing me to strengthen later parts of the story. This truly felt like a collaborative experience at times, and the novel is better for it.

What’s Next for The Lost Letters

Now that the A to Z Challenge is complete and The Lost Letters exists in its entirety, I’m exploring publication options beyond my blog. This will require some revisions and expansions—there are several subplot threads I’d love to develop further and character backstories that deserve more attention than the tight daily schedule allowed.

Important note: The individual chapter posts will only remain on the blog for a limited time. If you’ve missed any chapters or would like to read the complete novel before it’s potentially published, please send me an email, and I’ll happily provide a free PDF copy of The Lost Letters.

A Complete List of Chapters

Here’s the full list of chapters with links (remember, these will only be available for a limited time):

Final Thoughts

Taking on the A to Z Challenge in this way was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. There were moments when I questioned my sanity for attempting such an ambitious project, but now that it’s complete, I couldn’t be happier with the decision.

In many ways, this experience embodied the central theme of The Lost Letters itself—that true magic comes not from individual elements but from their connections, from bringing separate parts together to create something greater than the sum of its components.

Thank you to everyone who journeyed with Mira (and with me) through Everletter Academy. Your enthusiasm made this possible, and I hope the story brought you as much joy in the reading as it did to me in the writing.

Have you read The Lost Letters? Which letter/chapter was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to email me if you’d like a PDF copy of the complete novel!

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