SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY
So this week I received a really helpful lesson to my writing. An area that has always been an barrier; Punctuation that little toerag that keeps tripping me up. Even now it's casting shadows over this blog. Although the next book of my poetry is at the draft stage. It may or may not get published. That is the reality I've learnt to accept. At the present time, I'm starting lighting the fires; trying to gain interest in some possibilities. Whist also overcoming endless battle with punctuation.
The main benefit of being in an anthology is the fact that you have strength in numbers. There are more people behind the book. That means more eyes on your work. The purpose of an anthology is to provide the potential reader with easy access and to invest more into you as an invidual writer; seeing other works you've written therefore increasing your portfolio.
Finally they say you learn something new everyday. Whilst proofing this week we hit upon the phrase 'Toe the line'. Here again was my foepar, I wrote it as 'towing the line (like towing a boat or car. Which got us were its origins originated. The most likely origin of the term goes back to the wooden decked ships of the Royal Navy during the late 17th or early 18th century. Barefooted seamen had to stand at attention for inspection and had to line up on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to "toe the line". Also in parliament it relates to a strange feature of the House of Commons (the lower of the two Houses of Parliament). The Members sit facing each other, with the government benches to the right of the Speaker’s chair and the Opposition benches to the left. For most of the length of the chamber there is only an open floor that separates the two sides, so a Member of Parliament could — if so inclined — walk across the chamber and physically assault someone with whom he or she disagreed. In past times, it was not unknown for Members to carry swords with them, so steps were taken to ensure that swordfights could not break out across the floor of the chamber. What Parliament’s managers did was to paint two red lines along the length of the floor, one in front of each front bench. It was reckoned that if you did not cross the line, your sword could not reach a sword wielded by someone who was standing behind this line. Today the line is still in existence but thankfully the drawing of a physical sword isn't; you would just hope the rule book of protocol and behaviour is adhered by.
In conclusion it is fair to say that life is a daily classroom of learning. The latest anthology I was waffling about, is out this week available through amazon and waterstones in the UK ( Barns & Noble in the USA).
Till next time, thanks for reading, take care.
Midlife Writer
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