Conversations with Calliope- Writing Freedom

(Riverboat)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still feeling good about my writing decisions.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Writing for money or with an agenda confines my writing. I become responsible for finding what to write.
CALLIOPE: As opposed to what?
JOE: Letting my observations of life and the human condition guide me.
CALLIOPE: Is that a new approach for you?
JOE: No. It's where I started when I began writing. It's more a question of getting back to my roots.
CALLIOPE: Could you elaborate?
JOE: At the beginning I saw myself as a channel for observations rather than being in charge of deciding what to write.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you chose to follow your muse rather than try to force anything.
JOE: Exactly. That's how our conversation started in the first place.
CALLIOPE: I'm happy to lead you where life takes us.
JOE: Glad to have you as a guide again. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Checking Directions

(Sailboat by Peter Langen)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: I hope you didn't just roll out of bed.
JOE: You should know me better than that. I've never slept this late in my life.
CALLIOPE: So where have you been?
JOE: Doing my part for medical research. I visited the University of Rochester this morning for a blood draw.
CALLIOPE: What are they doing with your blood?
JOE: Trying to see if we souls with rheumatoid arthritis have any different reaction to flu shots than the rest of the world.
CALLIOPE: How's the study coming?
JOE: It's beyond me and any case too early to know anything while they are still in mid study.
CALLIOPE: Did it take you all this time?
JOE: No. I stopped at Barnes and Noble for some browsing while bookstores still stand.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: Julia Cameron's book Vein of Gold. It is a follow-up on her book, The Artist's Way.
CALLIOPE: Any reaction you can share yet?
JOE: Just that it looks interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.

CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. glad to see you are up and at it early this morning.

JOE: It's a short writing day. Later this morning I'm taking my son to place some of his prints at a shop in Wyoming (New York that is). While I am there I will explore their carrying my two books. Then it's off to Lance's in Warsaw (also New York) for a Pennsylvania Dutch lunch and some baking supplies like whole and cracked wheat. Then I have two meetings this afternoon.

CALLIOPE: Minimal writing time I see. Where does the writing stand?

JOE: Yesterday I wrote a chapter about my husband reflecting on the state of his marriage while he walks on Gay Head Beach. That required a little research on the Martha's Vineyard beaches, beach plums and roses as well as Makani Kai Marina in Kailua for a fantasy sequence.

CALLIOPE: Sounds like it is coming along. What's next?

JOE: Separate but equal time for my wife's reflection as she kayaks on Nashaquitsa Pond.

CALLIOPE: Do you know the next steps?

JOE: Yes. Each of the couple has siblings and best friends with varying input depending on their personalities and points of view. The plot thickens.

CALLIOPE: I guess it does. Do you know where all this is headed?

JOE: In a general way yes but the characters and you will lead the way toward major developments. I was reading what Heather Sellers had to say about compost of the mind where all our experiences reside and moulder until they are ready for use.

CALLIOPE: Have you drawn on yours?

JOE: Of course. Most of what I include about the Vineyard is based on personal experience there but is reinforced by some research.

CALLIOPE: I can't wait to read it.

JOE: Neither can I. I am anticipating further developments and am as intrigued as you are.

CALLIOPE: It's nice to be on such an exciting journey, isn't it?

JOE: It sure is. Let's get on with it.

(Lillian Hellman's Cabana)