Pennies

 

Being in the Netherlands made me think of expressions used in different languages. Personally, I do like clichés, one of the reasons being that some new expressions are clearly made up to make the writing more funny. It makes me smile when watching Little Princess (the annoying cartoon girl, who’s rude, bossy and a bit whingy, not the literature one), and the old guy gets his sayings mixed up (I feel it’s a ploy to keep the parents smiling, allowing their kids to keep on watching.).

A lot of expressions seem to be based around money. “Spending a penny”, well, on the Continent you will need more than a penny now. Clearly the extra cleaning measures need to be paid for, so sending hubby and child off with the usual coins didn’t work.

“In for a penny, in for a pound”, one that I don’t get. I mean, the difference between a penny and a pound is quite a lot! Part of writing fiction, especially when making up worlds as well as stories, is the fun of coming up with new expressions. It’s something I really enjoyed in Philip S. Davies’ book, Rebel’s Revenge, and I realised how fun it is to make up your own ‘my old granny used to say...’ type lines! So, “In for a penny, in for a sixpence”?

“Penny for your thoughts” is the one that has me stumped. When somebody offers to pay a penny for my thoughts (By the way, the Dutch used to pay you 25 cents, a quarter, so does that imply Dutch thoughts are more valuable?) I always wonder what they mean. It sounds like people expect you to have two-minute thoughts about one topic, worth about a penny.

Problem is, my thoughts don’t work like that. My husband still asks, “What are you thinking about?” The answer would be like this, “I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow. French lessons are bound to start soon, I better get petrol. Why would the woman down the road keep a dog, if she can’t clean up after it? The hairdresser must be busy, wonder how they cope if somebody wants a complex cut, will they run over time? O look, a cobweb, I better do some dusting soon. After lunch, maybe. I wonder if the dishwasher has finished.”

It’s when I sit down to write that I focus my thoughts. I type the chapter number (one never stops in the middle of a chapter!) and start the first line, then the story unfolds in my head, and I simply bash away, feeling grateful for autocorrect (usually) and red zigzag lines to help with illogical spelling. By the time I get to the end of the chapter I feel tired but satisfied. Maybe because the joy of having one thought? To be hyper-focussed for a couple of hours, whether it’s reading or writing, feels like a blessing.

When I read, I read to have a break. I write to have a break, to enjoy myself. Selling my book makes me smile, people are paying a lot more than a penny for my thoughts... Hopefully it’s blessing them more than my five-minute thoughts too. When people offer pennies for your thoughts, you should feel encouraged to carry on sharing your God-given thoughts, and to keep on writing!

Are your thoughts going down the straight and narrow, or are even your thoughts fond of multi-tasking?

 

 Maressa Mortimer is a pastor’s wife, and homeschool mum to four adopted children. She loves to write novels, trying to figure out the answers to questions in the process. Writing has to be done in the evening, but she's still dreaming of  a writing corner. She has one published novel, SapphireBeach, and enjoys writing various blogs and stories for her website, www.vicarioushome.com .