Conversations with Calliope- New Challenges

There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying upon you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his expectation.~Kingman Brewster

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Exhilarated. I completed all my registration procedures at AmeriCorps and planned my initial activities at my GoArt placement yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. Any surprises?
JOE: I wasn't expecting any and none appeared.
CALLIOPE: I guess that's good.
JOE: It is.
CALLIOPE: What are your duties.
JOE: I will work three days a week. One task will be working on web presence. Another will be to develop more interaction with the artists.
CALLIOPE: Anything else.
JOE: I most likely will be working with teens on creative writing. The program is still at the idea stage.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you will have plenty to keep you busy.
JOE: I think so. If not, new challenges always arise.
CALLIOPE: Good luck with you project.
JOE: Thanks. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- A Novel Idea

(New Bedford Fishing Boats)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Relaxing. I took a break to catch my breath before the next project.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: I decided to get my novel, Marital Property, out of mothballs and think again about publishing it.
CALLIOPE: Have you looked at it lately?
JOE: No. I planned to but then became absorbed in working on my CD.
CALLIOPE: Where did you leave off with it?
JOE: My first draft seemed dull in the third person.
CALLIOPE: I recall that you changed the voice.
JOE: I did. I let several of my characters take turns narrating from their points of view.
CALLIOPE: Did you think that improved the story?
JOE: The story hasn't changed much although I think the various points of view enhance it.
CALLIOPE: Let me know what you decide.
JOE: I will be sure to. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Getting Organized

(Organizing Pigs)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How's the writing coming?
JOE: I'm working on getting organized.
CALLIOPE: How are you going about it?
JOE: I am trying to keep up with marketing and writing and find myself flopping around like a fish on the shore.
CALLIOPE: How will you unflop.
JOE: Organization. I decided to split my day. In the morning I will work on correspondence and marketing as well as related activities.
CALLIOPE: And the afternoon?
JOE: I will devote it to working on my writing and reading.
CALLIOPE: Have you started yet?
JOE: I tried it yesterday and it worked fairly well. But I think it will take practice to get in the habit.
CALLIOPE: Everything does.
JOE: I can't argue with you there. Today I will work on plans for revising my websites in the morning. This afternoon I will continue working on my audio recordings and later read to restore my spirit.
CALLIOPE: Best of luck with your plan.
JOE: Thanks. I'll report back tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Death of a Mentor

(Passionist Mission Crucifix)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Reflective.
CALLIOPE: About what?
JOE: I received news that an old mentor died yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Were you close to him?
JOE: His name is Thomas Berry. I haven't talked with him in many years since I left the monastery. I tried contacting him but he was in ill health although I did communicate with his sister.
CALLIOPE: How did he help you?
JOE: After being in the seminary and monastery for nine years I was ready to leave but had no idea how to go about it or what to do next.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: Father Thomas helped me to decide what was important to me and to plan some initial steps after leaving.
CALLIOPE: So you left with some sense of direction?
JOE: I did and have always been grateful for his guidance. I have tried to help others as he helped me.
CALLIOPE: A fond memory.
JOE: Indeed, as well as an inspiration. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Finding God in Nature

(God in Nature)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I understand there are people waiting to hear our conversation today.
JOE: That's what I heard too. I think they want to know about God in America.
CALLIOPE: So tell me already.
JOE: Yesterday I finished my piece, Finding God in Nature. It's about my path to discovering God.
CALLIOPE: I'd like to know more.
JOE: I started by wrestling with institutional church teachings, prescriptions and proscriptions dating back to childhood through my early twenties.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I finally realized I could find God in the mysteries of nature and relate on that level with a God who reached out to me in ways to which I could respond.
CALLIOPE: Can you share the whole piece with me?
JOE: It's rather long for a blog. Also I wrote it for inclusion in a book. I'm not sure the author would appreciate my unveiling it before publication.
CALLIOPE: I understand. Where will your piece be published?
JOE: I wrote it for Christian Schall's book in progress, Meeting the God of America.
CALLIOPE: I assume there will be other contributors.
JOE: There will. He has some but from what I understand is still looking for more. He describes his project at http://www.meetingthegodofamerica.com/

Conversations with Calliope- Paper or Plasma

(At the Penthouse)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Pretty good. I woke up early and today's blog topic stuck in my mind.
CALLIOPE: Did it?
JOE: Don't be coy. I know you put it there.
CALLIOPE: Okay. So what did you think?
JOE: It's catchy and timely. I have been wondering about it lately.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Last Sunday at a penthouse party in New York I discussed with people the advent of several e-book readers and their potential effect on the publishing world.
CALLIOPE: Do you think that's a good thing?
JOE: Like anything new, it's a mixed blessing.
CALLIOPE: What about for you?
JOE: I like the feel of books and am used to holding one while reading. I also like seeing my favorites around me as I write.
CALLIOPE: I understand the emotions. How about practicality?
JOE: That remains to be seen. I like the idea of having information at my fingertips and being able to carry a library with me. The jury's still out as far as I am concerned. Talk with you Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Newsletter Launch

(Otter at Play- Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Ready to relax.
CALLIOPE: From what?
JOE: A busy week of working on my writing and its business aspects. I'm sure my friend Gerry would think I am going overboard with it.
CALLIOPE: What did you accomplish this week?
JOE: I overhauled my website at www.slidingotter.com, put the finishing touches on my free newsletter, Sliding Otter News, whose inaugural issue goes out today, sent a column to The Daily News. Those are the major things.
CALLIOPE: You have been busy. Why the newsletter?
JOE: I have been sending copies of my column to people around the country. I thought It was about time I formalized it and used it as a way to communicate with people interested in my writing.
CALLIOPE: I see. Now what?
JOE: It's time to relax, at least a little.
CALLIOPE: I guess you earned it. How will you relax?
JOE: I am planning a week in the Caribbean on a cruise.
CALLIOPE: Will I hear from you during the trip?
JOE: Good question. I'll try to keep in touch but no promises. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(New Orleans Cemetery)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Different. I didn't do any running around yesterday although it did occur to me.
CALLIOPE: How did you spend your day?
JOE: I stayed home and worked on my writing instead.
CALLIOPE: What did you accomplish.
JOE: I wrote my next column called Loving in the Shadow of Cancer.
CALLIOPE: Prompted by your visit on Friday?
JOE: Yes. It had quite an impact on me. I realized we have more choice of how we handle life's challenges. We don't always get to choose what challenges we have to face but we do have a choice of how we react.
CALLIOPE: Is that a revelation to you?
JOE: Not really. But when I see love in action even given extreme circumstances, it is a good reminder of life's possibilities.
CALLIOPE: I'm looking forward to reading it on Saturday. Did you accomplish anything else?
JOE: I worked on my second commonsense wisdom book. I discovered that "quotes" would probably be a useful keyword for me in marketing the book. I decided to start each passage with a relevant quote and even added one to my next column.
CALLIOPE: Is this a new idea for you?
JOE: No. I had planned to start each chapter of The Pastor's Inferno with a quote from Dante's Inferno. Then I ran into copyright difficulty. I did not realize I could use a public domain version of the Inferno until I had already submitted the manuscript for publication. Oh, well. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energetic.
CALLIOPE: What brought that on?
JOE: I'm not sure. How do you know it isn't my natural state?
CALLIOPE: Maybe it is. What's going on?
JOE: I awoke in the middle of the night thinking about where I am with my writing.
CALLIOPE: Where are you?
JOE: I have come to realize with the help of my readers that I need to do some work on my style and voice before completing Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: What did they say that brought you to that conclusion?
JOE: They observed in their own ways that my presentation tended to be bland. They graciously suggested my characters seemed flat instead of my writing. In reading popular authors, I could see the difference between expression of Danielle Steele for example and my own. I have also been reading about the craft of writing. My writing needs some work.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to go about it?
JOE: Three ways. I will keep reading about style, reading writers with style attractive to the average reader and practice my craft with short stories for a while before returning to the manuscript of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good plan. Will you suspend your other writing in the mean time?
JOE: Not exactly. I have also started gathering teen writings to include in Commonsense Wisdom for Teens and getting that project back on track. I am going to Niagara Falls tonight for a Neville Brothers/ Dr. John concert and will be back probably tomorrow afternoon. I'll contact you then.
(Pond in the forest- Oramel, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Feeling energized.
CALLIOPE: By what?
JOE: I followed my good friend Gerry's advice yesterday and started looking at the styles of popular writers to see what makes them successful.
CALLIOPE: Is this a new venture for you?
JOE: Not really, but I am looking in different places now.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Before, I think I had a somewhat snooty attitude about good writing, feeling that "literary" writers were somehow superior to "popular" writers.
CALLIOPE: So have you lowered yourself to consider "lesser" writers.
JOE: I have. Gerry suggested I start with Danielle Steele. I resisted. He insisted. Finally I got her book Safe Harbor from the library and started reading it yesterday.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: There is a reason she has sold over fifty novels. Her writing is immediately accessible to ordinary writers. She writes the way most people think, including observations of mannerisms, mixing together reflection, behaviors and speech in a way which I think mimics everyday experience. I think she meets writers where they live.
CALLIOPE: Sounds impressive. Will you continue your explorations?
JOE: I have a few other books I will explore and carefully note each author's voice and how they approach readers. An interesting challenge. Thanks Gerry.
(Sunrise- Nantucket Sound)