Conversations with Calliope- Humility and Semantics

(Sitting in Herman Melville's Seaman's Bethel Seat)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still digesting yesterday's lesson in humility and semantics.
CALLIOPE: I think there might be a story behind that statement.
JOE: How astute. I told you about my go around last week with some traditionally published authors.
CALLIOPE: I recall. You called them elite authors and decided you must be a pica author.
JOE: Correct. I decided to start a group on Linked In (www.linkedin.com) for pica authors.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: And nothing. Prospective group members either had no idea what I was talking about or didn't care. No response at all.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps a little of your own hubris showing.
JOE: Perhaps. In any case I removed the Pica Authors Group and replaced it with a group for Non-Traditional Authors meeting with immediate enthusiasm.
CALLIOPE: What do you think made the difference?
JOE: Setting aside my vitriol and appealing to the needs and interests of fellow non-traditional authors.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations on learning an important lesson.
JOE: Thanks. I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- A Cup of Insecurity and Humility

(Amish Buggy and Wagon)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: In my cups.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean drunk?
JOE: No. I am continuing with Julia Cameron's Vein of Gold exercises.
CALLIOPE: Oh. And what cup do we have today?
JOE: Insecurity and Humility.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: I won't bore or depress you with my childhood insecurities.
CALLIOPE: How about the humility part?
JOE: That might be worth exploring. I think my sense of humility developed in response to my childhood insecurities. Now I approach everything in my life including my writing in a humble way.
CALLIOPE: What does humility mean to you?
JOE: I keep myself in perspective and don't become arrogant about my abilities or opinions.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good trait for a writer. Do you think it keeps you from taking chances sometimes?
JOE: Perhaps. It's not always easy to keep a balance between risk and humility but I do my best. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Reflective.
CALLIOPE: On what do you reflect?
JOE: Mostly my writing. I was sailing along in a cloud of hubris imagining myself the next John Updike or Ernest Hemingway.
CALLIOPE: What dissipated your cloud?
JOE: I read the contest winners' entries against which I recently competed. I thought my story was great when it wasn't, either upon reflection of my writing group or in comparison with the other entries.
CALLIOPE: What do you conclude from that?
JOE: One conclusion is that I am not the literary equal of Mozart. Finished work does not flow from my pen, at least not at this point in my writing career and probably never will. Creating a polished piece involves hard work and concentration, while at the same time remaining in a creative mode, a delicate balancing act at least for me.
CALLIOPE: Quite a realization. Does it make you reconsider your writing career?
JOE: No, but I have a new respect for the craft of writing and what it involves. I can easily create pedestrian work, but that is not my goal. I have considered my mission to help readers understand themselves and their impact on others. But I have come to realize that no one will read what I have to say if I don't make it interesting and engaging.
CALLIOPE: So it's not just a psychological challenge?
JOE: No. It's also a literary one as well. I don't know why I never realized this before. Sometimes it takes me a while to discover insights which seem obvious once I unearth them.
CALLIOPE: Well said. Now what?
JOE: I will continue writing but try to avoid distractions from my craft or at least use them as challenges and try to convert them into something creative. I'll start working on it today. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Alcatraz)