IWSG: Maybe a Schedule Will Help?

OK, so I missed another Insecure Writers Support Group posting last month. Anyone who has followed my blog for more than a few days knows I have a bad habit of leaving long gaps between posts at times. I'm working on it... really. I have a plan to improve things. I'm going to start scheduling times to write. I will include blogging time, short story time, and novel time. These will have to fit in somewhere between Hebrew study time, Torah study for class, Torah study for church, and teaching preparation time for class and church. I think that will help me put more focus and emphasis on each item at the proper time. I'm hoping it will make it easier to avoid procrastination. If should also give me a little more accountability.

Has anyone else improved their writing consistency by making a schedule? Were you able to stick to it? Did you use specific times or just say "write for one hour on Tuesday evening?" I think I'll try both methods and see what works best.

That's it for today. Until next time; which, according to the schedule, will be October 1st. (See, I've got this.)

IWSG: Still Writing, Little of it Fiction

Has it really been two months since my last post?! Time has completely gotten away from me. I apologize for missing last month's IWSG post, but my daughter was having her Bat Mitzvah that week and we were camping that weekend AND I started in a new department at work and have had to learn far more than my 42 year old brain had any intention of assimilating. Therefore, writing was out the window. But I'm back this month with another entry in the never ending saga of my attempts to write something worthwhile.

In the last couple of months, I have written quite a bit. I have posted at my other blog a couple of times. Those are my Torah teachings, so it's a totally different writing mindset from this blog or any of my fiction writing. I also wrote a short story for a contest. I wasn't selected to compete, but it forced me to write something, so I'm still chalking it up in the win column. I have some other ideas that have been percolating for some more short stories that I hope to start writing soon.

Since I wasn't getting much writing done due to being too busy with work, church, and school, I decided to make a big change. I added more classes and took a new position that requires occasional travel. That should definitely make writing time easier to find. Right?

IWSG: Where Do I Find the Time?

It's time for this month's posting for the Insecure Writers Support Group. This month is an extension of last month's topic of procrastination. Yet another month has passed without any meaningful writing getting done. Unless 27 blog posts counts. Does it? I know I have a bad habit of putting things off, especially my writing. Some of the reasons for that were covered last month. But sometimes, I get on the ball, set aside the distractions, and plan on getting some writing done, only to realize that I don't have time to do any writing. I have class on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I film for Torah Puppets on Wednesday night. I work Monday through Friday. Friday sundown to Saturday sundown is Sabbath, so no writing then. Sunday is yard work, plant sales, and visiting with the extended family. I teach at the synagogue at least once per month, plus another teaching for school. Plus I have a wife, four kids, two dogs, and a cat that want varying amounts of time and attention. When am I supposed to write? Do I take time away from family? Spend less time preparing my teachings and risk sacrificing quality? Or do I do the unspeakable and cut down on my TV time? Gasp! Twitch... shudder... painful moan.

I guess it's obvious what the solution is, but is it really fair to make a six year old mow a yard that big?

Z - Some Things Are Just Obvious

It's the last post of the A to Z Challenge for 2014. I tried very hard to make it something clever and unexpected. I wanted to go out with a dazzling display of musical knowledge. Yeah, that ain't gonna happen.

Love
ZZ Top - I know. It's the obvious choice. But really, how many other good bands start with Z? I can only think of one more and I need it for another category. Besides, there aren't many bands that have kept the same lineup for over 40 years and continue to perform today. They've also had many hits over those years. My favorites? Gimme All Your Lovin' and Sharp Dressed Man.

Hate
Zoot Suit Riot (Cherry Poppin' Daddies) - I honestly couldn't remember if I liked this song or not. So I looked it up on Spotify. Wow, what an annoying sound. I'll let that one go. Maybe it will die a merciful death.

Hate to Love
Rob Zombie - I have trouble deciding if I like Rob Zombie better solo or with White Zombie. Either way, he makes some darn good music. Why do I hate to love his music? The dude is over the top creepy. I'm not entirely convinced he's not a serial killer on the weekends. I wouldn't be surprised to look in his freezer and find dead cats. Or his former band mates from White Zombie. But More Human than Human is still one of my all-time favorites.

And thus we end another A to Z Challenge. This one was definitely more difficult than last year's themeless month. I hope everyone had fun with it and hope to continue following several new blogs. Thanks for visiting this month and I'll see you around. (I promise to post more often this year than I did last year.)

Y - You Can Call Me Mongoose 1

Y? Because we can! Sorry, lame joke. Getting a little slap-happy this close to the end of the A to Z Challenge. This was another interesting letter because I kept finding songs that I love, or at least like very much. That makes it hard to list something for the hate and love to hate categories. But, being the intrepid blogging mongoose that I am, I searched until I found something for each category. (And got an annoying song stuck in my head. That automatically qualifies it for hate status.) I picked the top two songs I love, so you get a bonus today.

Love
You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon) - This is my all-time favorite Paul Simon song. (That's solo Paul, not Simon and Garfunkel. Bridge Over Troubled Waters FTW). The song was cool even without the video. Add the video with Chevy Chase and it becomes a Mongoose Den Hall of Famer. Though I'm not sure I want him calling me Betty.

Yahweh You Reign (Mason Clover) - I put this song in the top two Mason Clover songs. I would have to call this one and El Shaddai numbers 1 and 1a with them trading off the top spot. Both are great praise songs that you can really dance to. Really. We dance to it every time it's played at our church services. Plus, as I mentioned in my M post, Mason is a good friend. That gives it bonus points.

Hate
You're So Vain (Carly Simon) - Normally, I wouldn't give this song much, if any, thought. It was well before my time and not anywhere close to any genre of music I typically listen to. But as soon as I came across it on my list, it started running through my head with hobnail boots, stomping on brain parts that I've come to prefer unstomped. I can't let any song get away with such activities. It sets a bad precedent for other potentially mind-numbing musical selections. Bad Carly, you're banished from the Den.

Hate to Love
You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC) - It shouldn't take much to figure out why this one gets the "hate to love" moniker. If you read A, you know how I feel about AC/DC. So it just pains me to have to admit liking this song at all. But it's one of those that I can jam to anytime I hear it. That disturbs me. I feel abused.

Unexpected Bonus Track
The Anti-Song
Yellow Submarine (Beatles) - That's right, the anti-song. This is bonus information you can't get just anywhere. Trust me, you'll want to know this and tell all your friends. What is the anti-song? I'm glad you asked. Ever get a song stuck in your head, stomping on brain parts with hobnail boots? Want to banish it forever? Sing the anti-song. A few repeated refrains of the chorus of Yellow Submarine and any nuisance song will flee the confines of your mind. The best part? The anti-song will not get stuck in its place. Warning: Do not dry-fire the anti-song. If there is no song stuck in your head, the anti-song will fill that void nicely. You've been warned.

That's it for today. Let me know what music you love, hate, and love to hate (or hate to love) for Y. And yes, you can call me Al. Or Mongoose 1. Until tomorrow, Betty!

X - Uhhhh, hmmm...

I'm so ashamed. I have sat here trying to think of bands or songs or people or anything that starts with X that I can use for today's post. Guess what? There isn't much that starts with X. The only artist I can think of that I've ever heard of is Xzibit and I don't know any of his music. I do know that he's not my style. The fact that he's done songs with Snoop Dogg pretty much guarantees I won't have any familiarity with his catalog of work. I even googled bands and songs that start with X to see if I missed anything. If I did, so did everyone else. Everything that came up was a complete unknown to me. I feel so empty. I've failed at posting anything meaningful whatsoever for a letter during the A to Z challenge. So, to cheer myself up, I'm just going to give you a link to last year's X post that has absolutely nothing at all to do with music, but at least it has something to do with X. Enjoy. And if you can think of anyone or any song I've missed, let me know.

X - Xenophobia

And just for fun, I'm including a picture of a xenomorph.

W - Wake Up Weird Willie

Welcome to day W of the A to Z Challenge. What music will we be loving and hating today? Maybe everyone will have fun tonight. Or we could be going where the down boys go. It might be something else completely different. The suspense is killing me! Who could it be? Read on and find out.

Love
Wake Me Up (Avicii, Home Free) - This one's a twofer. This is a rare song where the original and a cover reach equal status. I love the electronica original by Avicii (with Aloe Blacc). It's a great juxtaposition of Aloe's mellow singing style with Avicii's powerful dance music.

Home Free making a pure a capella version of an electronic dance song and adding their country flair sounds like all the necessary ingredients for a train wreck. But, it's Home Free. They do everything surprisingly well, including this song. I think it's one of their best. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Hate
Willie Nelson - Why do people listen to Willie? Granted, he's a good songwriter, but has anyone ever had more twang? I was taught all my life that you should not sing through your nose. Willie sounds like he's singing through his nose, the guitarist's nose, and most of the noses of the front row of the audience. He's made millions and been invited to dinner with multiple Presidents. I write a blog complaining about his voice. I think he won this round.

Hate to Love
Weird Al Yankovic - Because seriously, how can you admit to being a fan and not have the nerd label permanently tattooed to your forehead (metaphorically speaking)? If you admit to liking Weird Al, people will immediately assume that you really are White and Nerdy and hang out at the Star Wars Cantina. So yeah. I hate to love Weird Al. (But I still want a Segway!)

My apologies to Wang Chung, Warrant, and Winger. They were finalists, but they didn't quite make the cut. Maybe next time. What music does the letter W bring to your mind? And do you have a Segway you want to sell cheap?