Just Sayin' ( #IWSG & #AtoZChallenge Reflections )

 

     In this post I'll be addressing the May 2021 edition of The Insecure Writer's Support Group and tie that in with my Reflections on the 2021 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Yeah, everything is connected--or at least I can find a way to connect one thing to another.  It's the story of life...

The 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. 

The co-hosts for the May 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine.

May 5 question - Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect? If so, did it surprise you?

Unexpected Reactions

        When I was taking fiction writing classes in college I poured so much into the stories I created that I regularly thought that I had created a masterpiece that my professor would rave about.  Well, he might have raved sometimes, but not in the positive ways that I had expected.  That's what writing professors are supposed to do I guess.  And more likely I was too invested in my own sense of genius and a bit blinded to the fact that my writing needed more work.  Why should have I expected otherwise?  My professor was supposed to instruct and guide me and not be an adulating fanboy.  

          Other than teachers, my writing didn't fall into the hands of many readers other than close friends and few of them read much of my writing.  It was not so much any fear of mine that they might say something bad about my writing, but it was a simple matter of getting them to read anything I had written.  Besides, I wasn't especially pushing my writing on others.

           After I discovered that blogging would be a way of putting my writing out in a public way where I might find an occasional reader of my work, my blog became my forum for presenting what I had created to others in hopes of getting some kind of reaction.  Mostly I received positive comments and encouragement that made me want to keep writing.  No longer did I have to submit writing to publications that would end up sending rejection letters.  I could just write what I pleased and my work would be out there for public consumption and I might get some nice comments now and then.  

         For the most part it's been all well and fine and blogging continues to provide us all with a platform to present our words as we want to say them. Unfortunately there is such a strong divide within society about this or that and some people get so disturbed about reading anything other than opinions they share.  This has presented a problem for a blog like mine which by the nature of the title Tossing It Out  suggests that I will be presenting my opinions and views about just about anything.  And that's the course I set out upon from the beginning.

        I've lost readers because of certain opinions that I've shared and at times those readers have departed with nastily deprecating comments as they faded off into their own corners.  We live in odd times of "I'm not gonna be your friend anymore" not just because of differences of opinions, but more due to a belligerent attitude of not even going to listen to the other side if it doesn't agree with one's own opinions.  

       Writing is all about opinions and an author expressing those opinions.  Whether it be fantasy, romance, mystery, or whatever the genre an author injects themselves somehow into the story which means an author's opinions and views about life and the world are mixed up in all that conveyance of the thoughts and imagination of a story being told.  Sure, that's my opinion, but I don't see how it could be otherwise.

        Expectations are figments of our own minds.  They are often shattered as we are directed toward a greater reality--whatever reality is.   When I'm pouring myself into my writing I sometimes get a sense of the exhilaration that I am going to change the world--or some small portion of it--with the genius of my words.  I am my own biggest fan until my words hit a different fan.   Reality sets in.  The clarity of my writing becomes muddled in the confusion of differences of opinion that result in a negativity towards me or my ideas or my writing.

        In the end, it's all okay.  Writers have always had their critics as well as their fervent admirers.  That is how it should be and likely always will be--at least I hope.  In today's world many are quick to cancel, censor, or criticize depending on a writer's opinions.  At least give a fair hearing of what a writer has to say.   The beginning of a story is not the whole story just as the end of the story makes little sense if you don't know what came before.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2021 Reflections

         As Frank Sinatra once sang:  "It was a very good year".

         Not that 2021 has been all that great, but it sure beats last year.  I think that would my summation of A to Z as well.  I barely remember A to Z 2020, but that year is a big blur for the most part anyway.  The baloney pandemic hit my life at an okay time since I am retired and mostly stay home anyway, but still it was all absurd.  But that was then and this is now, which is kind of like then but with some kind of hope ahead.  I guess.

 

         You'd think that me being retired would mean that blogging would be all that I have to do.  Apparently not though since these days I'm a rather half-hearted blogger.  Like the last few Challenges, I fell way short of making rounds to other blogs or even devoting much time to my own posts.

         Nevertheless I'm happy with my 2021 posts on Rivers of America.  I actually learned a lot in my research and my readers seemed to enjoy the series.  The idea for this theme kind of seemed to come out of nowhere.  When I suggested my theme in my March Reveal post I wasn't even sure where I was going with it.  So a few days before the start of the Challenge I started coming up with river thoughts in an A to Z fashion.  Through the month of April I basically wrote my posts anywhere from a few days ahead of time to the night before the post was to go up.  As they say, I winged it.  Or floated it or whatever.

         And so I'm done.  Great job me and everyone else that I was keeping up with.

         And very special thanks to the ever dedicated A to Z Team of J Lenni Dorner (captain) @ Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner,  Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary, John Holton @ The Sound of One Hand Typing,  Jayden R Vincente @ J R Vincente Erotica Writer, and Jeremy Hawkins (graphics) @ Hollywood Nuts.

          Don't forget to check the Blogging from A to Z Blog for the survey which will help us in the future and for other fun things coming up. If you haven't gotten your T-shirt to display your A to Z bragging rights you can find info on how to obtain one.

        Thanks to everyone who played along and hope you'll be back for the 2022 Challenge!

What Blog Topics Do You Avoid? (#BOTB) (#IWSG)

         If you want a blog post that will lure in more readers then write about blogging.   This has always seemed to work for me.  The topic is an easy one for other bloggers to comment on for fairly obvious reasons.  Since titles are the first draw to a post, mentioning the word "blog" or some derivative of that word is a good way to start.  On the other hand, certain words in a title might scare off readers or make them hesitant to read any further.

          This current post is a continuation of my post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group which can be found here.   To summarize, in that post I discussed the topic of reading and writing content that I find offensive.   In the following I provide a specific example of a word (or more precisely a name) that some might find offensive or something they might want to avoid if they saw it in the title of a blog post, book, or what have you.   I've incorporated this word/name/theme into my Battle of the Bands offering for February 1st.



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.


Jesus Is Coming Soon

        "Jesus is coming soon" is a controversial statement that a lot of people would prefer not to hear, while others might be excited to hear this.  It's a statement that can stir anger, fear, debate, or an icy cold shoulder.  Some people upon seeing this as a blog title or a book title or a title of anything might avoid reading it.   Even though "Jesus Is Coming Soon" is the name of the song I am using in Battle, I thought it best not to run off readers at the onset which is why I used a title that would have a bigger draw.   I may have lost some readers as they progressed through the post, but I hope you'll approach the following with an open mind since it is an oft recorded song and one that I happen to like.  Aside from the subject matter, I'm sure more than a few of you will not like the style of music since it is rather an acquired taste for those who have not been around the culture where songs of this nature are common.  Hope you stay with me and we'll see how this goes.

        The song "Jesus Is Coming Soon" that I'm featuring today was written by R.E. Winsett, songwriter/publisher from Tennessee, in 1942.  From what I've found, the song was apparently not recorded until the latter 1960's and achieved its greatest fame after appearing on the 1969 Oak Ridge Boys album It's Happening.  This album won "Album of the Year" in 1969 at the Dove Awards and the song was named "Song of the Year" as well.  In 2002, "Jesus Is Coming Soon"  and Winsett were inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame.  Over the years the song has been recorded by numerous artists.

     

The 3 Oak Ridge Boys vinyl albums that I bought circa 1970
 and still own and enjoy (photo by Betty)

       Prior to moving to Tennessee I had never heard any Southern Gospel music to my knowledge.  It's country music with a Christian slant to it.  Often accompanied with bluegrass or country style backing, the singing involves intricate harmonizing with a "twangy" vocal style as some are fond of saying.  Initially country music was a big turn off to me, but then after my family's move to Tennessee I gained more exposure to country music as well as Southern Gospel.    

       During my high school and college years while still living with my parents, I'd watch an early morning television program that showcased videos of Southern Gospel artists singing their songs.  As my ears became more acclimated to the music I also began to appreciate it more.  The Oak Ridge Boys especially stood out for me with songs like "Jesus Is Coming Soon", "I Know", "He Did It All for Me", and "I Wish We'd All Been Ready".   Eventually I bought three albums by the Oaks which I still have in my vinyl collection (pictured above).   Since that time I've also bought some CD's of their Southern Gospel music.

        The history of the Oak Ridge Boys goes back to 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee when they were known as Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers.  After becoming regular performers in Oak Ridge where they were popular with the employees of the nuclear research facility, they eventually changed their name to the Oak Ridge Quartet.

          This group went through a number of personnel changes through the fifties until Wally Fowler sold the rights to the group name to a group member, Smitty Gatlin, who eventually updated the name to Oak Ridge Boys in 1961.  The group recorded a number of albums and continued to go through other personnel changes.  In the late sixties they updated their stage appearance with a more moddish rock and roll look and added covers of pop/rock hits that had positive messages alongside their gospel tunes.

         The evolution of the group continued until they were signed by the Columbia label and then later by ABC Records.  In 1977 they released their first all country album and after that they begin hitting the charts with the mainstays like "Elvira" and became country music superstars.  This is how most people think of this group though they have returned to their gospel roots to record Christian albums along with the more popular country albums

          I'm definitely partial to the Southern Gospel that first drew me to them.  The other stuff is fine, but the Gospel songs touch me the most.  Well, actually I've never listened to much of their other music other than what gets played on the radio.  As for me and my house, give me that old time religion!   Here's an early live performance of their award winning "Jesus Is Coming Soon"--please don't vote on this as I've offered it here for perspective comparison.
     
Oak Ridge Boys "Jesus Is Coming Soon" (@1970?)

For reference only!!  Please don't vote on this version!!




Here are your voting candidates:

          This was probably my toughest Battle that I've compiled yet.  The first choices that I really wanted to use showed up on Polsy as not being available in all countries.  As I searched through many more it seemed that very few versions of this song were available in all countries.  Eventually I started finding many many more versions that were available.   After much consideration of a number of good versions, I finally narrowed my contest down to the following two choices:

Blackwood Gospel Quartet  "Jesus Is Coming Soon" 
( 2009)

       This version is done in a traditional style, but the video is downright strange--one of the odder music videos that I've come across.  Not sure what's going on with this other than I guess these guys have a sense of humor.  Inappropriate considering the song topic?  I'll let you decide.  I'm also a bit confused about how this group relates to any other group as from everything that I could find they seem to be a contemporary offshoot of the old Blackwood Brothers Quartet, but the group as portrayed in this video seems to have possibly disbanded and regrouped with new members.   If anyone knows then feel free to fill us in.  It's a highly competent version of the song no matter what the case.





Dogwood "Jesus Is Coming Soon"  (1976)

      Not to be confused with the Christian punk/metal group that came about in 1993, this Dogwood was a folk/rock group that recorded and performed during the mid to late 1970's.  The group was founded by Steve Chapman (not to be confused with multi-faceted Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman) and his wife Annie.   Their version of "Jesus Is Coming Soon" provides a more contemporary feel a la the Seekers and other such groups.   The band name Dogwood relates to the traditional Christian legend that the Dogwood tree was used for the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.







Time To Vote!

        Maybe nuanced to those who don't listen closely, these versions provide different musical takes on the same song.  Which version do you like the best?   

        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  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 
  
J. A. Scott  



Winner Announced on Wednesday February 8th

          Since voting will be open throughout the weekend, everyone should have adequate opportunity to vote. I've got a zinger of a post planned for Monday.   It will be sure to offend some as I get back into my political musings presenting a slant that might come unexpectedly to some of you.  I just want to try something different as I look at political controversy from a different perspective.

          But by all means do come back on Wednesday February 8th to see who won the above Battle along with some additional comments about the topics that I brought up with this post.

          Do you think you might have avoided this post if I had used the song title as my blog title?  What is it about religion that you feel causes many people to avoid reading about the topic?   Is there any particular style of Christian music that you especially enjoy?

What Does Immigration Reform Look Like? (#Flashback Friday)

         Six years ago I was on my blog talking about similar things as I am discussing in my recent posts.  For today I had mentioned that I was going to discuss racism.  I'll get to that on Monday I suppose.  In this current post I'm going to participate in another Flashback Friday...

     Flashback Friday, introduced by Michael G. D’Agostino of A Life Examined is a monthly blogfest, occurring on the last Friday. Michael’s directive: “Republish an old post of yours that maybe didn’t get enough attention, or that you’re really proud of, or you think is still relevant etc.” Please add your link to the list at the end of the post if you’d like to join in.

        THE POST I'VE CHOSEN FOR THIS MONTH FIRST APPEARED ON TOSSING IT OUT ON Thursday August 12, 2010-- TO SEE THE ORIGINAL COMMENTS TO THAT POST YOU CAN CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO BE TAKEN TO THE ORIGINAL POST...

What Does Immigration Reform Look Like?

         
         The immigration controversy is big here in California and Arizona.   In fact, the issue of immigration is one of the major issues that Americans are most concerned about after things like the economy and unemployment.   The immigration law that was passed by Arizona has caused a furor among liberals with cries of racism and invasion of constitutional rights.   There are many calls for immigration reform.

              What does immigration reform look like?

             As usual words have been charged and falsehoods created to help raise emotions.  So before we start the debate let's clarify the issues and define the wording properly.  The issue is not immigration.  The real issue is illegal aliens coming into this country to establish themselves without going through the legal channels and often having no true respect for the values that are the foundation of the United States.  Letting the floodgates of immigrants flow across the borders unchecked has led to more drug opportunists, gang members, human traffickers,  and terrorists to come into the country blended into the horde coming here to take advantage of our great country.  We are allowing a dangerous trend to occur.

               These immigrants are putting a burden upon our law enforcement, social services, educational systems, and the job market.  Standards are being lowered in our society.  Schools are suffering as the education process is slowed for those with advanced learning potential who are held back by non-English speakers and those with a lower quest for education.  Recent statistics in California show the dropout rate at 46% with a whopping majority to be Hispanics.

             There have been indications of movements such as La Raza and Azatlan that would like nothing better than for certain parts of the United States to revert to Mexican rule.  Mexican flags and those of other Latin American countries are becoming common sights as disrespect for the flag of the USA grows. 

              The furor raised by the Arizona law regarding immigration is based on a sham fueled by liberal and Hispanic activist propaganda.  The Arizona law merely states that the police will actively enforce federal law.  What a novel concept!  The police enforce law?  Where did they get such an idea?

             I don't like what's happening.  And before you suggest that I am racist or anti-immigrant, keep in mind that my wife is from Latin American.   She and her entire family came to the United States through legal channels, completing all of the necessary processes and legal papers over many years to eventually become proud citizens of the United States.  Her daughter and nieces and nephews have been honor students and college graduates and have gotten good jobs.   They did it right and I have no problem with anyone who wants to take this approach to immigration.

              If people aren't going to respect our laws of citizenship, why would we expect that they would respect any other laws that were inconvenient for them?  The way I see it employers who are hiring illegals need to be penalized and the anchor baby clause of the constitution needs to be amended. 

              What to do with all of the aliens who are currently living in the United States illegally?   There are estimates of anywhere from twelve to twenty million.  How should these people be handled?   What about future immigration?   Are you happy with the flood of illegals or are you against it?    What is the upside?

Perfidy Valence

European bull in thought (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why Perfidy Valence?

      One afternoon last year I woke up from a power nap with an odd term on my mind--"Perfidy Valence".   I accepted the term with a fleeting moment of clarity as though it was something completely natural to me and made perfect sense.  Then, as I became more fully awake, the phrase continued to stay on my mind while losing any significance to my real world of thinking.   However I felt compelled to write a blog post regarding the phrase and to use "Perfidy Valence" as my blog post title.

      The advice most often given to bloggers in regard to increasing site traffic is to use titles that will draw readers.   Commonly the tactics include using a question that interests many people or presenting an idea that will appear useful to others.  Overly technical or obscure titles typically do not attract readers since there is nothing in the title for them to connect to.

What Attracts You to a Blog Post?

      Perfidy Valence strikes me as a blog title that would attract few visitors.   You who visit this particular blog post will most likely be regular readers who are visiting out of habit, reciprocity, or just to see what I had to say.  Those of you who have dropped in might have have done so without even noticing the title of the post while others may have read the title and thought little of it since--well, because I sometimes come up with weird stuff and this was just another one of those things.  

      Then there will possibly be those who drop by because they were intrigued by the title.  Perhaps the phrase had some sort of actual significance for some.  For others the pairing of these words evoked a sort of puzzlement that attracted them to the post out of curiosity.   If there were any of you who fell into these categories, I hope you don't feel scammed that you were lured here under any sort of false pretenses.  For that matter I hope regular visitors aren't thinking something like, "What an idiot!  There Arlee Bird goes again with some oddball notion."

It's a Legitimate Question

      From my view on this topic of blog titles, it's not so much the words "perfidy valence" that are the real focus here.  Some readers may have expected something about a villain from a movie western or a post about science.   There are many things the title could suggest since the word "valence" has a range of meanings and "perfidy" is a word that is somewhat charged with emotion and negativity.

      In the past I used another term derived from a dream on this blog--Dynamic Flow,  After googling the term I found that others had actually used it, though I had no recollection of ever having heard it before.  I ended up with the post Dynamic Flow: The Dream as well as Dynamic Flow:  A Guest Post By Halina Goldstein.   Later I recycled my dream post as Deja Vu Blogfest: Dynamic Flow.   I can't say that any of this took on viral post proportions, but I did get some interesting reactions on all of these posts.

       However I do think legitimate questions are raised in regard to using obscure blog post titles.  Can a title of this nature increase readership?  Might using this sort of title cause a new visitor to feel ripped off after reading the post?   In this present post I think my topic is a fair one, but could my title be construed to be a deception?    

        Does using certain key words (such as sex, football, best-seller) or other names or phrases which have topical significance (for example Obama, ISIS, Kim Kardashian) in a blog post title constitute a rip-off if the blogger does not actually discuss to any great extent the word or name used?  

         Do you usually make an effort to formulate titles for your blog posts that you think will draw new readers?    Are there any particular titles that you have used that have had a particularly good response or even caused your blog post to go viral to some extent?   Are there any blog post titles that have backfired for you?

         What made you visit today's blog post at Tossing It Out?

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Is Too Personal Too Close For Comfort?

Poultry (Photo credit: wattpublishing)

           I'm planning on having chicken for dinner tonight, but I wasn't planning on chicken for today's blog post.   Yet here I am backing away from a topic that I had planned but just can't bring myself to finish writing.   It's not so much that I'm afraid of the topic so much as it hits close to my own life experience as well as that of some of you.  I will post the topic here on this blog, but not today.   Let it simmer in my mind for another few days.  After all the topic has been boiling on my metaphorical blog stove since mid-December and has been on the planning list for much longer than that.

           I'll give you a clue though.  It's a continuation of my December post Should We Ban (Insert Topic Here)?, which for those who haven't been following is a series brought about by the Sandy Hook school shooting story.  We hashed over the gun control issue on several posts on Tossing It Out and many of your own blogs.  Still no conclusive agreement there, but I didn't expect there to be.  It's a tough issue (for some, but perhaps not so much for others) and that's the biggest problem about arriving at any kind of solution that will satisfy everyone--many on each side are absolutely convinced they are correct.

        Gun control is a general issue of society that I find easy to bring to the table.  However the next topic I feel compelled to bring to the table is a very personal one for me and perhaps for many of you.  The opinion that I may be expressing here might cause some rancor among some in a much different way than gun control does.  If you're curious about what the topic might be you can go to that post in December and try to guess which topic I'm talking about.   For today I'll pose the question:

 When the topic leans toward being too personal, even though the factual nature of the evidence might be denied by those who believe their own experience does not fit into those seemingly evident truths, do you think it is best not to bring up the topic despite the importance of it and the potential distaste that the topic discussion could evoke?

        Okay, so maybe I'm being too cryptic with this question.  And maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of something that has affected all of us in one way or another.   Whatever the case, the topic is one that has bugged me for a long time and I doubt whether my talking about here will create any change about it.  And I hope my talking about it doesn't upset anyone too much.   No matter though, I still plan to talk about it to see what you think.  Most likely I'm making an overly big deal out of it.  Then again maybe I'm building some curiosity that will make you come back to read what I'm talking about.  Next week.  I promise.  I hope I don't break that promise.

        Do you tend to avoid commenting on posts that make you feel uneasy?    When a topic hits too close to home, are you willing to write about it on your own blog?   Anyone want to make a guess on what topic I'm talking about?

          I'll leave you with the following, which you may have seen elsewhere.  It just struck me as wise, but humorous in light of the recent Super Bowl and the fact that I'm no fan of American Football.   My last statement might be considered very controversial to some.   Feel free to throw prolate porcine spheroid shaped comments at me for saying I don't like football.   I don't care--I still think professional athletes are obscenely overpaid.

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