Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Having a little difficulty realizing that I finally reached the end of my second edit of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: It's certainly a milestone. Next it is off to your readers?
JOE: Not my public but to Carol and Gerry who have been most helpful to me in the past.
CALLIOPE: What do you expect of them?
JOE: H0nesty. I count on them to tell me how the story comes across to them and whether I need to make any major shifts in emphasis.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: Yes. They will also tell me when they encounter awkward phrasing and when I am not clear in how I express myself.
CALLIOPE: Good. Have you ever considered using a professional editor?
JOE: The thought has occurred to me. I think there would be advantages and disadvantages. A professional editor would probably be somewhat more objective although my traditional readers have not pulled any punches in the past and I don't expect them to this time.
CALLIOPE: Any other thoughts?
JOE: I fear that a professional editor would look at my work chiefly in terms of its commercial potential, although this might not be entirely fair. My personal editors know me, what I am trying to say and what my goals are. I don't think a professional editor would approach my work in these terms. Of course, I can't say any of this for sure since I have never engaged one.
CALLIOPE: Do you know what other writers' experience has been?
JOE: No, but that's a good question. I would like to find out and will research it in my writer communities. Maybe someone will share their experience here as well. You're all invited. Talk with you on Monday.
(Muir Woods- California)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Doing well. Despite a rather busy day, I did make considerable headway with editing Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: How much headway?
JOE: I am within striking distance of the end and plan to finish it this morning.
CALLIOPE: Good. What's the next step?
JOE: I have two readers ready to go to work.
CALLIOPE: Professional editors?
JOE: No. But both tend to be quite attentive to detail and in the past have pointed out difficulties which eluded me.
CALLIOPE: How did the difficulties get past you?
JOE: When I am deeply involved in a manuscript, I sometimes overlook problems or typos which I think I would notice in someone else's manuscript.
CALLIOPE: Have you had any experience editing others' work, particularly fiction?
JOE: Yes. I joined a group called Critique Circle in which we read and comment on each other's fiction. I have found it helpful in approaching my own writing more critically.
CALLIOPE: It sounds like you are on the right track.
JOE: I think so. Later today I will return to my marketing efforts. But more about that tomorrow.
(Sand Wash- Batavia, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Well, thank you.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your interview.
JOE: Kristin from the Daily News arrived to interview me about The Pastor's Inferno. I felt prepared based on publicity I have been working on lately, particularly the live interview with Phil Davis.
CALLIOPE: What did she ask?
JOE: She was interested in the development of me writing, why I wrote the books I did, particularly The Pastor's Inferno.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE: She wanted to know about my perceptions of readers' reactions so far. I told her about some people seeing the book as an attack on priests.
CALLIOPE: It isn't, is it?
JOE: Of course not. The point of it is that we all make mistakes, some of them drastic. No matter what we do there is a path to redemption if we are willing to look for it and follow it no matter where it takes us.
CALLIOPE: Do you think you were able to clarify this with her?
JOE: I do. I guess the only thing to do now is to wait to see her article.
CALLIOPE: What's new on other fronts?
JOE: I put marketing on the back burner this week to work on completing the edit of Marital Property. I have it over half finished, but still have quite a bit of work to do. I hope to have it completed this week. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Sand Wash- Batavia, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good. I have been busy. I was up at 5:30 to take Carol's son Mike and his partner Joe to Rochester for their bus back to New York. Then Carol and I had breakfast at Scooters and here I am preparing for my interview.
CALLIOPE: What interview?
JOE: The Daily News in Batavia is planning an article on The Pastor's Inferno and is coming here to interview me for it.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to say?
JOE: I've just been wondering about that. I sent them a copy of Ten Reasons for and against buying my book and might focus on that.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: I would like to discuss my writing development to some extent as well as what brought me to write the book. I sent them a copy and some publicity but don't know what focus they plan to take.
CALLIOPE: Any other points you wish to make?
JOE: I would like to stress it's being a novel for the thinking person, my fantasy of what might take place in an abusive priest's mind. I think my main point is that understanding such a priest gives us all an insight into the human condition in which we all live.
CALLIOPE: That sounds like a good approach.
JOE: I hope so. I think it might sell more copies if I could make it sound slick, but that's against my nature and also the purpose of the book.
CALLIOPE: Good that you recognize that.
JOE: I think so. I'll do my best and see what happens. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
(St Paul's Monastery- Pittsburgh, PA)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend.
JOE: Very busy socially. I am so use to working alone most of the time, I found it a little difficult to adjust to being surrounded by people for three days.
CALLIOPE: How did you handle it?
JOE: I tried to keep up with the conversation. However I realized the writing life tends to make me more introverted that I realized. I have become used to the world in my head and more comfortable there than in the world of social relationships.
CALLIOPE: Is that good or bad?
JOE: I'm not sure. The problem is that I am stuck in my own world and am not sure I am on the same wavelength with others.
CALLIOPE: You sound afraid you might be isolating yourself.
JOE: I am.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about it if anything.
JOE: If I lived in a monastery again, I wouldn't be too concerned. Since I write for others, I think it important that I understand how they see the world, their hopes, fears and wishes.
CALLIOPE: I couldn't agree more. I'm still not sure what you plan to do.
JOE: All I can think of is to spend more time with people and ask them about their perceptions rather than dwelling so much on my own. I'll try it for a few days. I would also like to know if this is a problem for other writers and how they deal with it.
CALLIOPE: Good. Let me know how it works out.
JOE: I will. On to today's writing adventures.
(Sand Wash- Batavia, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I didn't expect to hear from you today.
JOE: Surprise. I told you I might stop by.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about last night.
JOE: I attended a rehearsal dinner for Megan, Carol's niece.
CALLIOPE: And how was it?
JOE: Very nice. It took me a while to feel social. I spend so much time alone writing and talking with you that I sometimes feel awkward in public.
CALLIOPE: Not good. What do you plan to do about it?
JOE: I think I need to stay more connected with people. When I don't get out, I still have several writers' communities where I can keep in touch with people.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to be more active there.
JOE: I do. I had been meaning to be more active anyway but have been juggling quite a bit. I hope to finish editing Marital Property sometime this week which should give me more time.
CALLIOPE: Hopefully so. What about the wedding today?
JOE: I will be with many of the same people who attended the rehearsal dinner. I will make an effort to be more social. Then back to work. I'll talk with you on Tuesday.
(Sandwash- Batavia, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I was beginning to worry that you might not show up today.
JOE: I told you I would be here I have been staying flexible. This morning Carol and I prepared Strata, a fine dish for Mike and Joe who are in from New York for a wedding. Then we visited a friend and stopped by the house sale for Aunt Lucille's possessions.
CALLIOPE: Did you need anything?
JOE: No. I'm planning a column called Remains of a Life and wanted to have a fresh image of the sale for my writing.
CALLIOPE: That sounds interesting. Shall I expect it in a couple weeks?
JOE: I would say so unless something more urgent arises.
CALLIOPE: And today?
JOE: I plan to work on editing Marital Property a while this afternoon. I think I told you sometimes I think I am juggling too much to stay organized and effective.
CALLIOPE: You did.
JOE: It finally dawned on me that I might be better off finishing some of the projects on my plate before moving on to others rather than being left with stale leftovers.
CALLIOPE: Interesting way to put it. Do you plan to finish Marital Property first?
JOE: I do. I think I can finish it by the end of next week and get it off to my readers for final edits. Then I can focus more on my marketing efforts.
CALLIOPE: I applaud your priorities.
JOE: I'm not sure my current set of priorities is better than anything else I might have devised. But at least I have them and should be able to stay with a plan and not keep tripping over myself.
CALLIOPE: I guess we shall see.
JOE: Indeed we shall. With everything going on, I might not be able to talk with you for a few days. I'll be back on line Tuesday if not before. Aloha.
(Alleghany River)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good. My main goal was to finish writing my column for Saturday and I accomplished that.
CALLIOPE: What is it about?
JOE: The title is Hear What You Want to Hear and Disregard the Rest.
CALLIOPE: Shades of Simon and Garfunkel. Tell me more.
JOE: I wrote about selective listening and how people often listen to what they agree with or are ready to dispute, ignoring everything in between and creating misunderstandings.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. Will it be available Saturday as usual?
JOE: Yes. On my Commonsense Wisdom website.
CALLIOPE: What else did you do yesterday?
JOE: Worked on familiarizing myself with my new camera. I feel like I am running short on stock photos. I also continued editing Marital Property and gave Carol some initial chapters to read.
CALLIOPE: You're making progress.
JOE: I am, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all I have chosen to do.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you realized you have chosen your tasks. Some people feel like they just have things dumped on them.
JOE: I know it is my choice and that I can work as hard and as fast as I want. I just need to keep my priorities straight. I think I might do better to finish the editing and then be free to concentrate on other tasks. On to editing. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Sunset- Dunkirk, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I started out feeling I was going around in circles. After I sat down to write my grateful things for today, I realized I have actually accomplished something this week.
CALLIOPE: So what's new?
JOE: I finally found a way to post my podcast interview with Phil Davis on MySpace (www.myspace.com/slidingotter). That took some doing but finally I installed it.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. I'll have a listen. Anything else?
JOE: Yesterday was busy. I took my daughter out for a birthday lunch, and also took my son to an appointment. In between I managed to start my short story, Or Not To Be, as well as my column for this Saturday on selective listening, title still under construction. I also worked on my second edit of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: Make sure you let me know when these are ready for viewing. What do you mean by "second edit?"
JOE: I will let you know. A second edit as I define it is an oral reading of my text. I have already made changes for continuity and clarity. This time I am listening to see how it sounds.
CALLIOPE: And today?
JOE: More work on the second edit. As background music, a plumber will be boring into a wall to replace a drain pipe. I can't wait. My main goal for today is finishing my column so I can have Carol read it tonight and get it posted to the Daily News tomorrow.
CALLIOPE: So you're not loafing?
JOE: No. I have a rehearsal dinner for Carol's niece's wedding on Friday night and the wedding on Saturday. We are having people fora party Sunday and will probably repair to the mountain on Monday or Tuesday where I would like to do some painting. So I will get a little break.
CALLIOPE: Will I still hear from you?
JOE: Probably sporadically over the next week depending on schedule. But now it's time to get to work. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Sunrise- Leroy, NY)

Commonsense Wisdom for Everyday Life

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Cranking along quite well.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to?
JOE: Yesterday was technology day. I bought a new digital camera to use capturing more photos for you to look at while reading our posts in Blogger. It took a while to get the software involved and working
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun.
JOE: Sometimes it can be a challenge.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE: Posting an audio proved harder than I thought it would be. I have posted it on my website, Commonsense Wisdom, and I think on MySpace but the message says they are still processing it, whatever that means. I also learned there are royalty free sites for music although there is still a download cost, at least for some of them.
CALLIOPE: What other challenges await you today?
JOE: I finally started my story, Or Not To Be, last night. I also need to get going on my column for Saturday which I will base on a Simon and Garfunkel song, or at least that's the current plan.
CALLIOPE: Let me know how it turns out.
JOE: The Daily News also called and will come next week to conduct an interview for an article on Marital Property. I'm looking forward to it and feel prepared after the interview with Phil Davis.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are making progress.
JOE: I think so. Now it's just a matter of juggling everything and keeping all the balls in the air. See you tomorrow.
(The Lagoon- Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Did you sleep in this morning?
JOE: Actually, no. I've been hard at work for a couple hours.
CALLIOPE: Really? Doing what?
JOE: My brain started working before I climbed out of bed, planning my Vineyard story.
CALLIOPE: You haven't started writing it yet?
JOE: No. Finishing my first edit of Marital Property gobbled up my time yesterday.
CALLIOPE: So you finally finished it?
JOE: Yes, I did and am ready to go onto the next stage.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Reading it out loud to see how it sounds. I have tried this as an editing technique before and found it quite useful.
CALLIOPE: I agree. What else did you do early this morning?
JOE: Phil Davis sent a great audio recording form our recent podcast interview. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. No readily apparent way to upload an audio file to MySpace, YouTube or my website presented itself to my feeble mind. I guess that will be a major undertaking as well unless someone suggests an easy way. The best way I could see was to convert it into a video file and upload it as I did my first podcast. Maybe there is an easier way, but I haven't discovered it yet.
CALLIOPE: Isn't technology wonderful?
JOE: Once I figure it out everything seems to make sense. In the mean time, I just plod along. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Rocky Mountains- Colorado)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not bad. I worked hard editing Marital Property yesterday and have only thirty pages to go to the end of the book.
CALLIOPE: Great progress. Then what?
JOE: I think that will complete the major editing. Next I will read the book aloud to see how it sounds and correct it for tone.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good next step. And after that?
JOE: Next is to call my reviewers back into action. I have several who read my books in the past and made excellent suggestions for revisions. I plan to ask them to read it.
CALLIOPE: Have you decided what to do about publication?
JOE: No. I think I might take another run at agents to see if I can generate any interest. If not, I will probably use Booklocker again and get started on Commonsense Wisdom for Teens.
CALLIOPE: How are your marketing efforts coming.
JOE: As you know I completed my first video and posted it on MySpace and YouTube. I plan to work on others starting Monday. I will complete a general podcast about my writing, readings from my other two books, ten reasons to read or not read each book and one about my Commonsense Wisdom for Teens project.
CALLIOPE: Sounds ambitious.
JOE: It is. I have plans laid out for the next few weeks.
CALLIOPE:I hope you can keep it all straight.
JOE: I hope so too. But at least I know where I'm headed. Talk with you on Monday.
(Erie Canal Lock- Lockport, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Excited.
CALLIOPE: That's a nice change. To what do we owe the honor?
JOE: To my intention of creating a video podcast. I finally found the wire for my Canon camera but could not get the camera and computer to communicate for some reason. I decided to try using the webcam with Windows Movie Maker and found the whole process relatively painless.
CALLIOPE: How far did you get with the process?
JOE: I recorded and posted the podcast about Commonsense Wisdom for Everyday Life on MySpace and YouTube.
CALLIOPE: With no difficulty?
JOE: None. The whole process went swimmingly as the British would say.
CALLIOPE: I'll have to take a look at it. Is it professional quality?
JOE: Well, no. Just a conversation with me and a brief reading. Quite informal. But I don't think my approach needs to be slick. I tire of slick ads on TV and find them annoying in their competition to outdo each other.
CALLIOPE: Agreed. How is your editing of Marital Property coming along?
JOE: Quite well thank you. I can smell the end of my initial edit and inch up on it every day. I make a conscious effort no to minimize the use of the verb "to be" in all its forms. I find it quite a challenge sometimes but I think my work sparkles more without it.
CALLIOPE: What about your story?
JOE: Haven't started it yet. Editing keeps my attention. This weekend might be the time. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Nantucket Bay Sunrise- Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A little weary. I spent most of yesterday working on revisions of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: How is it coming?
JOE: I forgot how much work revising a novel text demands. It seems to take forever although I think the quality of it improves with each edit.
CALLIOPE: That's encouraging. What's the hardest part.
JOE: Knowing what to do with the verb "to be" and all its forms. It makes for dull writing but I can't always easily find alternative ways to express myself.
CALLIOPE: Maybe it's just a bad habit.
JOE: Maybe so, but I'm working on it.
CALLIOPE: How are you going about it?
JOE: Mostly by reading The New Yorker, Salman Rushdie and others who might teach me by example.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: I just try to keep focused on finding better ways to express myself. In my last novel, I avoided almost all conversation tags and found other ways to denote the speaker.
CALLIOPE: Do you think you could write a whole novel without this verb. "To be or not to be. That is the question."
JOE: Very funny, but I have considered it. Could I do it? Maybe I can write a short story in that fashion. One is brewing in my mind about a woman in Martha's Vineyard. Maybe I'll try it on a smaller scale. See you tomorrow.
(Parliament Building- London)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Still trying to digest yesterday's letter to the editor about my recent column on priest sexual abuse.
CALLIOPE: What's the problem?
JOE: A reader interpreted my column as an attack on the Catholic Church rather than an inquiry into the nature of abuse.
CALLIOPE: What did he say about you?
JOE: That I seemed to be ignoring the abuse among others charged with care of children and was singling out priests, only a small minority of whom abuse teens.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to handle it.
JOE: I'm considering it. A friend suggested a brief acknowledgment of the writer's position and then moving on.
CALLIOPE: How does that sound?
JOE: It's good advice. At the end of his letter, the writer says, "Maybe Dr. Langen would agree with me that an honest, courageous and thorough study of this psychological condition is desperately needed because it is spreading."
CALLIOPE: Do you agree with him?
JOE: I do, but also think there are cultural and institutional factors bearing consideration as well. Maybe I can just restate that and move on.
CALLIOPE: Good idea. I guess you have to be careful about what you write.
JOE: I guess so. Explaining my entire position in a five hundred word column can be daunting. If it stirs up controversy or need for further discussion, maybe that's not so bad. See you tomorrow.
(Carol at the spice market- Marigot, St. Martin)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Better.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: I solved my webcam problem.
CALLIOPE: How?
JOE: After considerable gymnastics (mental, physical and electronic), I reached the conclusion that my first webcam was a dud, or at least not about to cooperate with the machinations of my computer. Back it went, and then I tracked down another which worked fine from the outset.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. Is your mind at rest?
JOE: At least it's relieved. I still have much to learn about webcam workings but at least the immediate crisis is past. However I wasted time I could have used on my writing.
CALLIOPE: Did you get anything done along that line?
JOE: I did some work on editing Marital Property and also critiqued a story on Critique Circle.
CALLIOPE: What about creative writing?
JOE: Critiquing stories reminded me that I haven't written anything original for a while with all my efforts going to editing and marketing. I have been working in a story idea.
CALLIOPE: Care to share?
JOE: I met a woman in Martha's Vineyard several years ago, best described as a character. Such denizens are in no short supply on the Vineyard. I thought it might be interesting to write a story about her, or at least about what I imagine her life to be about. I plan to start working on it this afternoon.
CALLIOPE: I am looking forward to it.
JOE: I will most likely post it in one or two of my writing groups and will let you know when it's ready. Off to work. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Vineyard Haven Bay- Martha's Vineyard, MA)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today.
JOE: A little frustrated.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: After my podcast interview with Phil Davis on Friday, I thought I was about ready to work on video podcasts for my writing and my books.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I found a video camera but was unable to install the software for it.
CALLIOPE: What happened?
JOE: My computer refused to acknowledge that there was any information on the installation CD or that I even had it in the drive.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: I tried installing it manually through a roundabout process which seemed to work but when I tried to use the camera, it was not recognized.
CALLIOPE: So what do you think the problem is?
JOE: I think the drivers may not be installed.
CALLIOPE: It's a little beyond me.
JOE: Me too. I am beginning to think this might not be the right camera for me. I might try another one. Maybe it would be good to give this a rest and work on my writing.
CALLIOPE: Did you do that over the weekend?
JOE: Yes. I copied some chapters and edited them yesterday. It seems to be going much better editing on paper than on the screen. I don't know why, but I'll accept it. Back to work. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Taughannock Falls- Ulysses, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How did the podcast recording go yesterday?
JOE: I was quite pleased with it. Fortunately I took the time to be prepared and had everything I needed at my fingertips.
CALLIOPE: Any problems?
JOE: No. The only one I anticipated was my tendency to say "uh" quite a bit when I'm thinking. I made a big sign and placed it in front of me during the interview as a reminder. I did well for the most part.
CALLIOPE: What did you cover?
JOE: It was comprehensive. First, we talked about my development as a writer. I talked about two of my books, Commonsense Wisdom for Everyday Life and The Pastor's Inferno and read a passage from the first one. Then we talked about my marketing.
CALLIOPE: Any surprises?
JOE: Only that I had made quite a bit of progress with marketing, more than I had realized.
CALLIOPE: Is the column published?
JOE: Yes. Time to Give Words a Rest is ready for your consideration in the usual place, www.commonsense-wisdom.com.
CALLIOPE: And the editing of Marital Property?
JOE: I tried printing some chapters and editing them on paper. I found myself being much more critical and detailed editing on paper that I was on the screen. I think I will continue that practice.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: I have to mail out a signed copy of one of my books. I signed up for Skype, an online video and audio service. I will spend some time today figuring out how it works. See you on Monday.
(Rainbow- St. Maarten)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I didn't expect you so early.
JOE: Surprise. I was planning to record my podcast with Phil Davis for Authors on the Net at eight A.M. It turns out that I will indeed be doing it at eight mountain time which is still two hours from now. I guess I am just too used to my little insular world and need to practice thinking globally.
CALLIOPE: Well, it's nice to talk with you anyway. Are you ready for the podcast?
JOE: Almost. I prepared some general comments on my writing background. We will also talk about my first and last books from which I have some selections ready to read. We will also discuss my marketing efforts.
CALLIOPE: So all that is prepared?
JOE: Just about. I have notes on my marketing plan but want to type them out so I don't have to struggle reading it during the interview.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you've thought of just about everything.
JOE: I hope so. I would like it to sound spontaneous, so I guess it's not good to be overly prepared.
CALLIOPE: Have you done this kind of thing before?
JOE: I tried it once several years ago with a telephone interview. However the quality was quite "tinny" and not something I thought of sufficient quality to disseminate.
CALLIOPE: You don't want to sound amateur.
JOE: No I don't. As you know I have been considering video podcasts for my writing in general and for each of my books. I thought it would help to get this interview under my belt first. It might give me some ideas about the videos.
CALLIOPE: That makes sense.
JOE: I wanted to let you know I printed several chapters of Marital Property to work on at Carol's last night. I think I did a more thorough editing job on the written text rather than on the screen. I will continue this approach to see how I like it. Talk with you tomorrow.
Butterfly Museum- Niagara Falls, Ontario)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you up to?
JOE: Planning.
CALLIOPE: Anything in particular.
JOE: Yes. My podcast for tomorrow with Phil Davis. He sent me a tentative outline for our interview. We plan to discuss my writing career, my marketing efforts and the famous ten reasons which John Kremer suggested.
CALLIOPE: What will result from all this.
JOE: Phil will edit our conversation and create an audio podcast for both of us to use in our marketing efforts.
CALLIOPE: Are you ready?
JOE: Not quite. That's why I said I was planning. When we finish, I will make sure I have everything together. I don't want to be shuffling around looking for things during the interview. But at least I know what I want to have handy when we talk.
CALLIOPE: I hope it goes well. How did your column turn out?
JOE: As planned, I wrote it with the title of "Time to Give Words a Rest." I wrote about the recent student Day of Silence and a concert I attended on Sunday. The focus was on temporarily setting words aside in favor of awareness of our surroundings. I will post if for you to see Saturday on my Commonsense Wisdom website.
CALLIOPE: Any other plans for today?
JOE: I did some editing yesterday and will plan some more for later today if I have time after my interview is ready.
CALLIOPE: Another busy day.
JOE: It is. But I think the interview will give me a chance to gather my thoughts and assess how I am coming with my writing and marketing. I'll talk with you after the interview.
(Window view- Charlotte Lighthouse- Rochester, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Quite excited.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I think I am starting to become established. On Monday, John Kremer posted a blog on my ten reasons pro and con for buying my book. On Friday I will be recording a podcast with Phil Davis on my writing and marketing efforts.
CALLIOPE:How did those come about?
JOE: Through my efforts in contacting both men. I have discovered that sitting back and waiting for the world to come to me doesn't work.
CALLIOPE: Have you been making other efforts as well?
JOE: Yes. I am starting to receive comments on our conversations after posting them for quite a while. We do seem to be developing a following. I hope it doesn't go to your head.
CALLIOPE: Don't worry. I've been around long enough to take it in stride. How's the editing coming.
JOE: Fitting it in is often a struggle. Today I have a column to write with everything else on my plate. I do have a new plan though.
CALLIOPE: What is it?
JOE: Glad you asked. I will start printing at least a couple of chapters to review at Carol's in the evenings. She is against having a computer in her house, so I have been limited to daytime writing so far. I might also ask her about keeping my backup computer at her house without an Internet connection. Frankly, I see some benefit in getting away from the worldwide brain sometimes myself.
CALLIOPE: Let me know how it goes. Good luck with the column.
JOE: Thanks, I'll tell you about it tomorrow.
(Printer and hat)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Pretty good. I am enjoying the sunshine and promise of warmer weather.
CALLIOPE: What have you been doing lately?
JOE: I worked on editing Marital Property yesterday. I tried to address continuity, clarity, grammar and voice all at once.
CALLIOPE: Did it work?
JOE: Not very well. I thought there might be some shortcuts in the editing process. But it just diffuses my attention so I can't concentrate very well on anything.
CALLIOPE: Too bad.
JOE: Maybe. Doing everything at once might work for some people. I recall that Mozart could write a finished work without any later editing. Genius seems to be in a different class. The rest of us might need to work one aspect at a time. At least I do. It takes longer but I think that is my best chance to produce polished work.
CALLIOPE: I think it's good to know yourself, your limitations and what works best for you.
JOE: No argument there.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: I will read some of Marital Property tonight at Lift Bridge Writers Group and would like to look over my selection. I will also do some more editing on the text. Saturday is coming up so I have to start working on a column. I cut it pretty close last time.
CALLIOPE: Do you have a topic.
JOE: Giving words a rest comes to mind. My right brain attended a wind ensemble concert on Sunday. I enjoyed experiencing the concert without having to describe it in words. I think I will pursue that idea. I had better get going. See you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Pleasantly surprised.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I told you last week that I made another attempt at Rushdie's Satanic Verses and again found it impenetrable at least for my feeble mind.
CALLIOPE: You did. And now?
JOE: I tried giving it one more chance. After I got past the initial pages, I found his tle absorbing and very well written. I must admit I wandered a few times but for the most part am enjoying it.
CALLIOPE: What made you persist?
JOE: Hearing Rushdie read made me realize how good he is at lyrical expression and analogous ways of saying things, in short of capturing the reader's imagination in looking at pedestrian events.
CALLIOPE: Quite a turnaround I'd say.
JOE: Me too. The later pages took me by storm and captured my imagination. I found them a treat.
CALLIOPE: And what about your writing?
JOE: Hearing and reading Rushdie brought me to think about how I write. I came to realize I do so in three stages. First I write the story. Next I edit it for consistency and clarity. Finally I return to listen to my voice as narrator and the voices of my characters to see how they can become more immediate and expressive.
CALLIOPE: Where did you get that approach?
JOE: Hard to say. I remember reading about approaching one's writing from different perspectives one at a time. Maybe it arose from that. I'm not sure how I ended up with this particular plan or whether it is the best one for me. For now, I like it and am using it to write and edit Marital Property. I am open to other approaches and plan to ask some about their approaches. Time to get to business. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Woodland pond- Oramel, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Anything exciting going on this morning?
JOE: Nothing like the story contest last Saturday. Just a quiet day at the computer.
CALLIOPE: Did you have any more thoughts about Rushdie's comment on discovering the why by exploring the how?
JOE: I have been thinking about it. I would enjoy having a conversation with him about this but can only speculate on what he meant unless I can find some writing of his which develops this further. I think one part of what he means has to do with product and process.
CALLIOPE: Now you have some explaining to do.
JOE: I think the question "why" leads to an explanation, the end result of whatever exploration takes place. This kind of answer is a product or a conclusion. Asking the question "how" looks instead on the process of arriving at a conclusion rather than on the product or final result. The process is much richer than the product. I also think it is more important to understand the process rather than the end result.
CALLIOPE: In what way?
JOE: If you look at the usefulness of both in living our own lives, it becomes clearer. The conclusions we reach about the nature of life are just facts to be listed and maybe shared. Our lives are more than a series of facts. We each live in an ongoing process of exploring who we are. In coming to understand our journey, why we are on our particular paths becomes more clear.
CALLIOPE: I think I see what you are getting at. Don't you think it is important to know what your life means?
JOE: I think it is the search which is important. If we reached final conclusions about our lives and could sum them up as an explanation for our existence, there would be nothing left to do but sit down and wait to die. There would be nothing else to explore.
CALLIOPE: In other words life would effectively be over.
JOE: That's the way I see it. I guess its time for me to get back to my exploration of today. Talk with you on Monday.
(Cabin in Oramel, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Humbled.
CALLIOPE: What brings you to this state of awareness?
JOE: My presence last night in the PEN World Voices presentation.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Salman Rushdie and Umberto Eco both read from their works and Joanna Scott hosted a conversation with the two writers. Both inspired me to be the best writer I can be and gave me some ideas about how to do it.
CALLIOPE: Excellent. What did you learn?
JOE: More than I would from one author alone. Joanna Scott did an excellent job facilitating a conversation between the two authors.
CALLIOPE: Specifics please.
JOE: Okay, one insight from each author. Eco sees fiction as inviting the reader to think about how we think. We step back from our practical world and look from a distance at ourselves and how we operate. This is similar to what Eckhart Tolle suggests as awareness in A New Earth.
CALLIOPE: And Rushdie?
JOE: One of my favorite insights he shared was that we often get stuck trying to answer the question why when reading. Concentrating in writing on answering the question how leads to the understanding of why.
CALLIOPE: That sounds rather profound. I'll have to think about it for a while. What's up for today?
JOE: I will continue working on editing Marital Property. I am reading the manuscript first for clarity and consistency. After that I will look at it's musical properties, an insight I gained last night. But more about that tomorrow.
(Polar Bears- Peter Langen)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Excited.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: This afternoon I have the privilege of attending a PEN event in Rochester. Umberto Eco and Salman Rushdie are both reading their work. I happened across the announcement as soon as it was released and was able to get tickets.
CALLIOPE: Are you a big fan of either?
JOE: I tried reading The Satanic Verses a while ago and had trouble making sense of it. Eco's book Name of the Rose was one of my favorites. His more recent book, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana was, well, mysterious. I liked parts of it but other parts eluded me.
CALLIOPE: Why do you think you had the mixed reactions?
JOE: I think I like to read more straightforward work. I like to be able to follow plot and character development rather than having pieces of a jigsaw puzzle laid in front of me which I have to piece together to make sense of a book.
CALLIOPE: Good way to put it. Do you write straightforwardly as well?
JOE: I try to. I must admit a few forays into more speculative fiction such as my short story, A Piecemeal Kingdom.
CALLIOPE: I forgot about that story. Is it posted somewhere.
JOE: You can find it http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewshortstory.asp?AuthorID=66681&id=29856.
CALLIOPE: Quite a mouthful.
JOE: Not everyone can link directly. So that's the whole ID. It's easier than sending it to everyone who wants to see it.
CALLIOPE: With all your excitement, are you getting some work done?
JOE: Yes. I revised several chapters of Marital Property yesterday and plan to work some more on it today before heading off to Rochester. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Bas relief- Santillana, Spain)