tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post2615189878228809168..comments2024-01-17T01:33:02.302-08:00Comments on The Riddle of Writing: Spinning -The Roots of the Language of WritingDeborah Swifthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10594174632573628818noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-42333979394696169762012-05-23T02:57:40.346-07:002012-05-23T02:57:40.346-07:00Hi Louise, I love your descriptions of your editin...Hi Louise, I love your descriptions of your editing process as a 'delicate operation'. I'm in the middle of editing now, and it made me think to go easy a little. We are always being told to axe and chop and cut (the way of the woodcutter?), but it's interesting to think of it in a more feminine way too.Deborah Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10594174632573628818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-34704175837689508112012-05-21T23:09:20.142-07:002012-05-21T23:09:20.142-07:00Fascinating post, Deborah. I'd never thought o...Fascinating post, Deborah. I'd never thought of it before, but you're right, the imagery is perfectly apposite.<br /><br />A friend of mine at uni had a spinning wheel which I used a couple of times, and I can still remember the sensation of it now. Storylining is very like the 'combing' process, brushing and brushing until the amorphous mass smooths into visible strands, and writing a first draft is exactly like the teasing out of a single, continuous thread. The editing process is like spinning too. I used to think of it as 'ironing' - going over and over it to smooth out the bumps - but it's really a more delicate operation, working the piece through and through the fingers until it runs as smoothly as silk.<br /><br />Unfortunately I was rotten at it.alberridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986443240923520466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-642513117952936232012-05-16T09:10:53.238-07:002012-05-16T09:10:53.238-07:00Hello Eliza, our comments crossed! Hope sales of T...Hello Eliza, our comments crossed! Hope sales of The History room are going well. I myself have no ladylike hobbles at the moment, except maybe drawing and painting. I seem to spend a lot of time tramping through muddy fields or practising martial arts! Though I am interested in crafts, they always fascinate me. Perhaps I should take up knitting!Deborah Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10594174632573628818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-79815910727076095832012-05-16T02:56:53.461-07:002012-05-16T02:56:53.461-07:00Hi Charlotte, yes isn't it. When writing I oft...Hi Charlotte, yes isn't it. When writing I often have to use the Etymological Dictionary to check whether a word was in usage in the period of my novel. Recently my editor queried the word 'nonplussed', but it fact it was in existence as far back as 1532. I always find word origins fascinating.Deborah Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10594174632573628818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-12940684828040382202012-05-16T02:55:39.823-07:002012-05-16T02:55:39.823-07:00Very interesting. I have also noted how many autho...Very interesting. I have also noted how many authors also have an interest in needlework and craft. I know quite a few quilters and embroiderers who write.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.elizagraham.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-39810287316148122222012-05-13T11:56:31.619-07:002012-05-13T11:56:31.619-07:00Fascinating blog, Deborah. It's interesting ho...Fascinating blog, Deborah. It's interesting how many words we use without thinking about the origins of them.Charlotte Bettshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17975904425769809877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-80014414920045922682012-05-13T07:16:47.280-07:002012-05-13T07:16:47.280-07:00Hello Deborah, how could I forget Penelope! The Od...Hello Deborah, how could I forget Penelope! The Odyssey is one of my all time favourite mythic stories. The term 'spinster' has almost disappeared I think, except for on marriage certificates, but the idea of a spinster waiting years for her man certainly applies in Penelope's case!Deborah Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10594174632573628818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8313651519637984862.post-50693621279544561092012-05-13T03:55:55.862-07:002012-05-13T03:55:55.862-07:00And of course there was Penelope, weaving and unpi...And of course there was Penelope, weaving and unpicking, as she waited all those years fro Odysseus to return...really enjoyed reading this piece, and beautifully illustrated!Deborah Lawrensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16882043247450468229noreply@blogger.com