Nose to the Grindstone

'Keeping your nose to the grindstone' sounds painful, especially if the stone is in motion. (Click here to read about the possible origins of the phrase.) But summer is over and I fully intend on putting my nose to the grindstone this fall and keeping it there.

Summer's been wonderful. First the writing conference, then Virginia/Washington D.C., then the Shakespearean Festival, and, finally, Depeche Mode - row 14, which was awesome, right in front of the catwalk! I'll have a few short trips this month, but nothing that need take me away from my writing.

I've been in and out so much that my writing has been neglected, to say the least. So now it's time to put the stone in motion and work towards some major progress on my writing. I plan to start tonight - the beginning of a nice long weekend (no work on Monday because of Labor Day). What a perfect time to throw myself back into the story. I'm committed to avoiding distraction and getting the work done.

I've set the goal of 20 minutes every day. I'm sure I'll exceed this most days. After all, once I get into the story it's really hard to stop after such a short time. But I think 20 minutes is an obtainable daily goal and not too fatiguing with a full-time work schedule and other family/personal commitments.

My nose will stay just out of danger's path, just as the knife grinder's hopefully did (read the origins article). I wonder how long they had to stay hunched over the grindstone - oh, the back pain.