Conversations with Calliope- TGIF

(Allegheny River Sunrise)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I'm glad it's Friday.
CALLIOPE: You don't even go off to work any more.
JOE: Well, no. But I have felt under pressure lately, even if self induced.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: My websites needed to be redeveloped with a program other than Front Page. The deadline for getting this done was June 30. I made it. Both are ready although the second is still in the process of being switched to a new server.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: There's also my caffeine withdrawal. Today marks the fifth day and I am finally realizing life after caffeine is possible.
CALLIOPE: Do you feel any different.
JOE: The greatest change and surprise as well is that I feel more energetic and eager to work both at the computer and at physical labor in the yard.
CALLIOPE: Who would have thought it?
JOE: Certainly not me. But today I have all my weekly goals accomplished and am ready to relax this weekend for the first time in a while.
CALLIOPE: Seems like you earned it.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(My work space)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was yesterday?
JOE: Busy as usual. I worked on marketing and Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: How about your comprehensive marketing plan?
JOE: I decided to start with the big picture- how people approach the Internet.
CALLIOPE: Where did you begin?
JOE: With what I look for when I surf the web.
CALLIOPE: What did you come up with?
JOE: I look for free or reasonably priced information or tools for my writing or web presence.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: I wrote down what kind of readers I want to attract. I want readers who are intrigued by common sense and would like to learn how to focus their lives in a way which will benefit them but be beneficial to others as well.
CALLIOPE: And after that?
JOE: I listed what such readers might want. I think they want suggestions about how to be more comfortable with choices they make, avoid making enemies, decide how to act in an ethical dilemma and live in a way which does not harm themselves or others.
CALLIOPE: Will this form the basis of your writing and approach to marketing?
JOE: I think it already does although I never put it into words before. I will use it as my guide. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I'm off to a good start.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I have been thinking that it's time to consider where my life is headed and whether I'm satisfied with my direction.
CALLIOPE: How far did you get?
JOE: Not very far other than having the idea. I thought about it this morning and remembered the guided journal, What Really Matters to Me by Robyn Conley-Weaver.
CALLIOPE: Did you complete the assignments?
JOE: No. I just started the journal. I think that was when I switched to a regular journal and eventually to our conversations.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I will review the journal. I think it might give me a framework for re-evaluating where I stand right now and where I'm headed.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good idea. Why now?
JOE: Several reasons. I am planning a move fairly soon and I have been weeding out the detritus of my life- deciding what to keep and what to discard. That has brought to mind reconsidering my life direction. I also feel a little unfocused and sometimes overwhelmed by my daily activities. Time to get organized.
CALLIOPE: I'm all for it.
JOE: I plan to start this morning. I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Original Erie Canal Lock- Lockport, NY)

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Okay. I am coming to some resolution of my video camera mystery.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I visited the dealer yesterday and learned that the camera is working fine. The problem seems to be with my computer.
CALLIOPE: Does that surprise you?
JOE: Not really. I have been having some other problems lately and think it might well be difficulty with an outmoded operating system.
CALLIOPE: And the solution?
JOE: Replace it with a more up to date one. It is rather a bother however since I will have to reload all my programs.
CALLIOPE: Is that such a big deal?
JOE: Not really. It just takes time, and time is something I have been thinking about lately.
CALLIOPE: In what regard?
JOE: I am beginning to realize I won't live forever. I can keep sailing on or decide how I want to spend whatever time I have left.
CALLIOPE: Do you need to make a decision?
JOE: Probably not. But I feel I am drifting lately and would like to be more focused. I will give this issue some thought in the next few days. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Ernestina- New Bedford, MA)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Busier than ever.
CALLIOPE: What did you get done yesterday?
JOE: I worked most of the day on my marketing plan. Strange to say, I felt disorganized about making my plan and it took quite a while.
CALLIOPE: How did it turn out?
JOE: I got a good start. I developed some goals I thought were realistic and measurable, identified a target audience, and developed some strategies.
CALLIOPE: Is it finished?
JOE: No. I am still exploring tactics to decide which ones I will use. I also need to understand my target audience a little more to know what they want and what would attract them. Then I will try to match tactics to my audience to fill out my strategies.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you have thought it out pretty well.
JOE: I can't take all the credit for it. I learned a great deal from Phil Davis and the marketing plan information he has posted at http://www.authorsonthenet.com/. I am very grateful for his work and for the first time feel like I have some direction in my plan.
CALLIOPE: Will you use the same plan for all of your books?
JOE: No. Since they include an inspirational book, a memoir and a novel, I think they will have to be tailored quite differently. The target audience might vary widely as well.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are making good progress.
JOE: I think I am. This weekend I will work more on my target audience and understanding the various tactics available and working toward matching the two. Talk with you on Monday.

Looking Back from the Future

Recently I wrote about the benefits of living in the present. Although not a realistic place to live, the future can sometimes provide a good vantage point for looking at the present. Sometimes I don't know what to do or how to do it. I become paralyzed by the options, decisions and potential consequences of my current situation. I solve this problem by projecting myself into the future, after the problem has been solved and the goal achieved. I leave all the present anxiety behind. Then I look back from the point of having accomplished my goal to calmly consider how I reached it. It sounded strange to me at first, but then I found out it worked.

(Rainbow- St. Maarten)

Guerrilla Living

I just received a copy of Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. The book is about how writers can market their work without huge resources by concentrating on the little things that can make them successful. It occured to me that the same is true of life. I remember thinking "If I only had..." It is easy to identify things which can be used for excuses not to accomplish our goals. We can sit and wait until our wish comes true and not feel we are wasting our time. After all, how could we accomplish anything until... I am learning that If I want to get anywhere, I have to get moving with the resources I have, network with people who can help me and learn what works for others in my situation. See you at the finish line!