Today is the Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by our favorite ninja, Alex “no hyperlink needed” Cavanaugh. The success of this group is due to the overwhelming support of so many great people – all of you who work tirelessly to help others and give encouragement or a helping hand.
A couple of weeks ago Alex asked "Who's your Hero?" on his blog. My answer:
"Anybody who keeps trying, pushing against the stream. *sounds like salmon is my hero*"
He said I made him laugh! Squee! I made the ninja laugh!
*clears throat*
Anyway, it got me to thinking about salmon.
*holds nose for a closer look*
In a way, I guess I'm serious. Writers do behave an awful lot like salmon. We are trying to spawn a book, swimming upstream against incredible odds and never giving up, no matter what obstacles are in our way. We could do a lot worse than emulating salmon. Except the dying at the end part.
So keep swimming, or trucking, or whatever keeps you writing!
I don't have the regular Weird Word Wednesday definition today. Instead, I have a question for all of you.
Would someone please explain to me why there is an "L" in salmon? Maybe I talk like a valley girl, but I've never heard anybody say that word and sound the L. Of course, I (properly) pronounce the town of La Jolla as "La Hoya" so I discriminate against the letter L anyway.
Anybody know the answer? Anybody feel like having salmon for lunch now?
The el is salmon is silent, but it is a subtle warning about the place that people (and bears) who consume the poor beasties will go. Scoffing something which is trying to meet its biological necessity is a truly heinous crime. Can you tell that I don't myself eat it?
ReplyDeleteAnd salmon and writers are similar in that they are valued highly by persons of sophisticated tastes.
Dear EC, does this also mean that writers smell like salmon? *sniffs at armpits*
DeleteI like your thought about the L being a subtle warning...or not so subtle if the sniff test is positive... ;)
I'm looking up salmon recipes. You should be tasty. Tough, but tasty. Hope you don't have salmonella.
ReplyDeleteM.L. Swift, Writer
Great, Michael...now I have to worry about body odor AND salmonella!
DeleteAnd, yes, I'm most likely too tough to eat. *looks for sign that says, "eat more cows"*
Hi River .. interestingly or not! salmon is named from the latin 'salmo' ... which may in turn have originated from the term 'salire' to leap ... c/o Wiki!!
ReplyDeleteBut it was interesting to find out ... and they do travel far and wide - flora and fauna in general are just beyond belief and so clever ...
Cheers Hilary
You are such a wealth of information, Hilary! Since salire would pronounce the L, it makes sense. But it then begs the question - why did we stop pronouncing the L? I seem to be obsessing over this word... :)
DeleteAnd you made me laugh again!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it has to do with salmonella poisoning?
I'm always happy to make you laugh, Alex!
DeleteI wonder why salmonella has the word salmon in it? Was the bacteria first discovered in the fish? Yuck...
I have no idea why there's an "L" in Salmon, but when I was little, because there was an "L" and I was taught to sound out every word, for many years I pronounced it with the "L". And everyone would make fun of me for it. I had to literally train myself to pronounce it correctly.
ReplyDeleteBut I like the idea of writers as salmon, moving against the stream. :)
It's funny the things we learn as kids and struggle to unlearn them later, Chrys. I said "kinnygarden" for years and still have to concentrate to say it right!
DeleteWe could be compared to much worse than salmon... ;)
Good question on the 'l' in salmon. I really don't know, but what I DO know is that salmon tastes REALLY good when it's encrusted with Parmesan cheese! I had that at a restaurant not too long ago and it was delicious.
ReplyDeleteCame here via IWSG...
LOL, Melissa! Anything encrusted with ANY cheese is divine in my book. :)
DeleteLOL! Blame it on the Normans. (French.) Pretty much every unexplainable spelling wise can be traced back to the merging of Old English and the Normal French, when Normans took over the civilized world in 1069.
ReplyDeleteThat, or my research just revolves around that period and I'm obsessed.
Love the comparison to salmon...minus the dying. ;)
Yeah...the dying part sounds bad, Crystal. ;)
DeleteI'm a firm believer that the French don't know how to spell anything. That's why most consonants at the end of their words are silent. That way they can put anything they want on the end and it still works.
Just reminds me of all those deep sea fishing trips we took when I was a kid. Fresh salmon caught in San Francisco Bay is truly amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to get anything caught in the wild anymore, MJ! Good memories for you. :)
DeleteRiver, I like your image of a writer as a salmon swimming against the current. I think EC has the best answer for your silent el question. I love salmon, and eat it all the time. Even if I never ate another bite, I'd still end up in hell. So that's not a problem.
ReplyDeleteHell is populated by all our friends, Ron, so it will be a par-tay...with lots of encrusted salmon... :)
DeleteYum, encrusted salmon and Jezebel's punch! I can't wait!
DeleteYes, Jezebel will be waiting for us with glass in hand. ;)
DeleteSalmon is king in the PNW. I used to live on Salmon Street. Seriously. You're right, we do emulate them. Does that mean we taste good? lol Nevermind, my brain has some dredges of rage in there making it think kooky things.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you for your rage, Mary!
DeleteThe PNW is prime living quarters for salmon...and writers probably do taste good. ;)
"Life is a river and you're a salmon. You do it. Lay eggs. Fight currents and die." I love your posts-- I feel so.. so.. wow I'm really depressed now. ;)
ReplyDeleteOhhh no you're so right but we got to find our purpose, even if it means fighting the current. You crack me up.
Julie - I crack you up while you're fighting to get upstream...wow, I'm good. *polishes fingernails on shirt*
DeleteSo.. what you're saying is I swim upstream, lay a bunch of offspring and die. Right? Hmm.. that sounds about right, actually.;) No seriously, this is very good and finding and pursuing our mission takes a willingness to not always take the easy road (or river in this case).
ReplyDeleteSo what you really wanted was to see if I'd answer you twice, right, Julie? hee hee
DeleteI don't think writers are allowed to take the easy road...or river, as the case may be. We are destined to swim upstream. That's kind of like walking through snow, uphill, both ways. ;)
Aha River,
ReplyDeleteOnce again and everywhere I go, I see that gosh darn "IWSG" aka "I Was Seeking Gary." You writers are way too kind to me. Thank you so much :)
No trout about it, Salmon and what the "l" is the the "l" in there for.
Your fish analogy was a stream come true, eh River!
Gary :)
I'm heading upstream, Gary, after your trout comment. ;)
DeleteYes, we writers love to seek you out on the first Wednesday of each month!
LOL, you crack me up, River. So is the "L" supposed to be an "H" sound? Like "sahmon"?
ReplyDeleteGwen, do you mean someone besides myself finds me funny? :)
DeleteI don't give it any sound at all. It doesn't deserve any recognition. All the L is doing is taking up valuable space. Just think of how different that word could be with a P or a T in it? :)
Ah, the old salmon simile. Very funny! And I agree, our spelling system is a mess. Knocks me out, these silent letters. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Lee! Add to that our writerly penchant for making up words. No wonder our spelling is a mess. :)
DeleteSalmon are tasty when smoked. That's all that matters.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Michael. Taste is at the heart of it all. ;)
DeleteHi, River! I spotted you on M.L. Swift's blog and enjoyed your comment there, so I thought I'd come over here and take a peak at you in your own surroundings.
ReplyDeleteGreat salmon/writer analogy. I think the behaviors are quite similar.
I enjoyed your post, will be back for more.
Hi Demetria! It's nice to meet you. I actually said something intelligent over on M.L.'s blog? I'll have to watch that. Don't want to get a reputation for it... ;)
DeleteThis was a pretty interesting post!
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
Thanks, Gina!
Delete