Is everyone writing like crazy out there?  Doing the Nano writing?  Wish I was, but working hard on my Redwood Writers website trying to get over 211 members listed with their genres and links to their blogs/websites and getting out a master roster for members.

Last Cliches:
Grin and Bear It – Put up with adversity with good humor.  Originated as grin and abide in Erasmus Darwin’s Zoonomia (1974).  Used in 1775 in W. Hickey’s Memoirs: “I recommend you to grin and bear it (used by sailors of much bad weather).”  Also see poet Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911) pun on it in his The Firm of Grain and Barrett.

To Palm Off – Pass off fraudulently.  Term comes from practice of hiding in one’s palm what one pretends to dispose of in some other way.  Used 17th Cent. used as palm on or upon.  Charles Lamb used in one of his Elia essays (1822): “Have you not tried to palm off a yesterday’s pun?“

Rub the Wrong Way – Annoy.  Expression transfers rubbing a cat’s fur in wrong direction to irritating a human. British = rub someone up the wrong way, dates from mid-19th Cent.

Back to the Salt Mines – Time to return to work with reluctance.  Refers to Russian practice of sending prisoners to work in the salt mines of Siberia.  Eric Patridge cited an authority who believes it came from a play called Siberia, popular in 1890s.

Well, like clockwork most all writers are trying to write many words this November.  Not all of us, but a good many of you out there are writing every day to finish your first draft in one month!  I believe this is good for writers.  Gets our creative minds working and flowing, and hopefully, we’ll get in the habit of writing every day.  Does it work?  I’m not sure, since I’ve not participated in it.  Every year, members in my writer’s group get together and write thousands of words in this one month.  What about the rest of the year?  If they can write that many words in this one month, do they continue doing so each month?

I suppose for new writers they would get their feet wet and maybe continue on.  But do they?  That’s the big question.  I’ve heard this works.  Why haven’t I tried it?  Unfortunately for me, life gets in the way.  November seems to creep up on me and passes me by.

Of course, that’s not to say I’m not writing.  I am.  I’m editing my completed novels, doing “technical” writing for my Redwood Writers’, mulling over my uncompleted novels, and critiquing for the on-line critique group.

Let’s face it, we don’t always do what we should, when we should.  As writers, we should have a set schedule of writing, get words on paper, and write every day.  This does not always happen as we have lives to attend to.  But when I don’t write, my soul gets sad and when I do write, I’m much happier.

So all of you out there, let me know, is this November working for you?

Keep Writing and Enjoy the process!

Until next time,

Julie A. Winrich – Helping Readers Enjoy Sleuthing and Solve Puzzles.