Reflections of 2017 A to Z (#atozchallenge) & #BOTB results

Reflections of the 2017 A to Z Challenge

        There's not that much to be said for the 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge that I haven't said in the Reflections posts of previous years.  Most of what was said in those posts still holds true.  The guiding principles of social blogging still hold true:  Leave comments to receive comments and make every attempt to keep things interesting in your posts.

           My theme of  It's About Time was one of my favorites to ponder and write the posts about.  The subject matter was interesting to me and seemed of interest to most readers who left comments for me.   I enjoyed the philosophical aspect of each letter topic and I didn't have to spend too much time researching my posts.  

          Though as is usually the case I didn't get to visit as many blogs as I would have liked, I made new blog discoveries as well as appreciated the blogs of old and newer friends.  The array of subjects covered during April with the added bonus of so much fine writing and creativity made blog reading a joy during the entire month.

           Personally I had no problem finding blogs to read through reciprocating my comments and practicing the other methods that have been oft repeated on the A to Z Blog and elsewhere.  In other words, I stayed busy visiting blogs and never got around to as many as I could have.  Not having the Linky List was okay with me and its absence meant that 2017 was the most relaxing unstressful Challenge ever.  

            I didn't miss the list albeit I did create my own link list (found here) mostly for my own curiosity to see how many participants I could compile.  I know I fell way short so I don't have any clear idea of how many A to Z participants there actually were this year.  For that matter, I'm not even sure if all of the links I listed continued participating from beginning to end because I wasn't using my own list.  However, my list was there for anyone to use.  Sorry if I didn't list your blog--it wasn't for any reason other than once April started I stopped trying to add to that list.

         So, the bottom line for me is that 2017 was a successful year of Challenge from all that I could see.  I enjoyed myself and had fun with it.  And it seemed many of you did as well.  There's not much more that I could ask for--other than having the kind of A to Z Challenges that I've described in previous Reflections posts and I leave it to you to research if you want to know more about that.

        Did you use the link list that I compiled on my site?   Did you miss having the A to Z Twitter Chats?   Would you be interested in being a part of the 2018 A to Z Team?

Battle of the Bands Results

       My previous Battle of the Bands matched two versions of the Crowded House song "Don't Dream It's Over" as performed by Diana Krall and the duo of Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande.  The outcome in this one did surprise me a bit after some of the flak I got when I posted other battles with Justin Bieber.   I kind of figured that there would be enough Miley Cyrus "hate" to steer voters toward the Diana Krall version.  But as I was already aware there are plenty out there who aren't big Diana Krall fans either.

        In my opinion both Cyrus and Grande are immensely talented young singers.  I thought their version was very well performed even with the goofing off in the instrumental break and the goofy attire.  I enjoyed their performance and thought their voices worked very well together.  I liked their version and that's why I used it.

         I happen to like Diana Krall and the addition of the string ensemble capped this performance off for me to the point that this is where my vote went.  I agree with those who pointed out the rough quality of her vocals and that caught my attention as well.  The vocal flaws of the live performance are especially apparent when you compare her studio version of the song, but I thought the imperfection added a depth of feeling to this performance and I was okay with it.

         The duo looked like it would take the win with a much larger lead for a while, but some later Krall votes came in to make for a better showing.  Not a bad contest in the final tally.

Final Vote Tally

Miley/Ariana                13 votes

Diana Krall                  11 votes

Next Battle on Monday May 15th

        I'll be trying to catch all the Reflections posts in the upcoming week so I won't be posting anything until my next Battle of the Bands on Monday May 15th.   Hope to see you then.   Not sure what song I'll be using so no clues since I don't have a clue.

       

        

Don't Dream It's Over (#BOTB) (#IWSG)

A to Z:  It's Over! (but not totally)

      We've reached the end of another Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  This 2017 Challenge was outstanding in my view.  You can tell us about your A to Z experience in the tradition that is known as the A to Z Reflections Post.   Go to the A to Z Blog for more information on the Reflections post.  The official Reflections day will be next Monday May 8th.  Hope you'll join us with your own Reflections post.  You can also help us by taking the survey created by A to Z co-host J. Lenni Dorner.   Take the survey here.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 


May 3 Question: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?


         I've always enjoyed doing research.  In fact I was one of those dorky guys who read encyclopedias and dictionaries for entertainment.   In college I used to spend hours in the library just looking up stuff whether it related to anything I was doing for classes or not.  Research is fun!  And oh, the rabbit holes you can fall into!

        These days most of the research I do is for blog posts and Battle of the Bands (be sure to vote on the Battle you will find below).  Once I start researching for either of these, I will invariably find all sorts of ideas for more blog posts and Battles that I'll add to my queue of things to post in the future.  If you are one of those who find yourself strapped for ideas in your writing, set off to explore new research projects and if you are keeping your mind awake you will surely start coming up with ideas.

         One of my stranger research explorations was when I was writing my 2010 NANO novel Time Light.  Part of my story involved characters going to Cairo, Illinois where there is a nearby town listed on the map as Future City.  I wanted to incorporate this oddly named place into the story, but since I was over 1800 miles away, just popping over to get information about this place was out of the question.

        At the time I was doing this research, there was little I could find on line about Future City so I called the Cairo library.  From there I was directed to a wonderful older African-American gentleman who was a retired city worker and a history scholar who had written a couple of books about the area.  We conversed for a lengthy period as he filled me in on the origins of Future City and some of its history.  Afterwards I asked if he minded if I did a story about him on my blog to help promote his book, but he declined because his book was no longer in print and he wasn't interested in having his name on the internet.  Interesting, but he sure was friendly and helpful for the purpose of my investigation.

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

"Don't Dream It's Over" (1986)

      It was September of 1986 when I was coming upon Austin, TX on I-35 and "Don't Dream It's Over" came on the radio.  I was immediately transfixed by the song.  The sound of it was mesmerizing to me--such a beautiful melody with puzzling lyrics.  The next chance I had to go to a record store I bought the Crowded House album on cassette and from that point on I was a fan of the group as well as anything related to Neil Finn, the composer of the song.  I sought out the albums of his earlier group Split Enz as well as the albums by his brother Tim Finn.  The Finn brothers are outstanding songwriters and I now count "Don't Dream It's Over" as one of my all time favorite songs.

       Until I ran across a beautiful instrumental jazz version which inspired me to consider the song for a Battle of the Bands match, I had no idea that there were so many great versions of the song.  Instead of using that jazz version (I've decided to use a different song by that jazz group for a later Battle) I decided to use two versions by more known artists that some of you might like or dislike.  I thought these versions displayed a nice contrast of stylistic approach to a song that has become even more amazing to me after having listened to many cover versions.

       To hear the Crowded House original you can click the link in the above title, but please don't vote on that version.

        Here are the versions up for Battle:


Miley Cyrus & Ariana Grande  "Don't Dream It's Over"  (2015)








Diana Krall   "Don't Dream It's Over"  (2015)







Time To Vote!

        Between these choices do you have a preference? Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. Which version do you like the best?  Do you prefer the more uptempo fun version of Miley and Ariana or the more somber take by Diana Krall?   You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 
  


Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday May 8th

      You have until Sunday May 7th to vote with the winner announced on May 8th. That will be a big day as it is also when my A to Z Reflections will appear.
          Do you enjoy doing research?    Do you ever go down a rabbit hole of research to end up looking up things you originally didn't intend to research?    What do you think "Don't Dream It's Over" is about?