Conversations with Calliope- What's in a Name

(Navajo Code Talkers)

What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Great weekend newsletter.
JOE: Thanks, I had a variety of nice comments.
CALLIOPE: What's on your mind today?
JOE: Saturday I tried to track down a name badge for my lover, Fuzzy the Clown. I had meant to order her one for Christmas and forgot to. Now I'm in a last minute search.
CALLIOPE: Good luck.
JOE: This morning I woke up thinking about names and their significance.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: In fiction and real life, some names bring to mind whole stories while stories bring to mind certain names.
CALLIOPE: Were you thinking of any names and stories in particular?
JOE: I thought of quite a few. One connection which comes to mind is Tom Sawyer and the Antebellum South.
CALLIOPE: Do you think fiction and reality intersect?
JOE: I named my youngest daughter Becky after Becky Thatcher. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Niagara Falls)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine, but busy.
CALLIOPE: Still sorting and packing?
JOE: Yes, although I'm beginning to see a dent in the pile.
CALLIOPE: Any literary progress?
JOE: A little. I started on ideas for the video Are You Afraid of This Book.
CALLIOPE: Tell me the premise again.
JOE: I have a suspicion that many people don't read The Pastor's Inferno because it scares them off.
CALLIOPE: Have you thought that it could just be your writing?
JOE: That occurred to me, but I think it's more than that.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: The topic of sexual abuse, the darkness of the subject, more information than they want about the human condition.
CALLIOPE: What do you think people look for in fiction?
JOE: Escape, entertainment, reaffirmation of their views on society, a good story.
CALLIOPE: So you think you challenge people's thinking too much.
JOE: Maybe so. Let's talk a little more about it tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I feel rested and energetic.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to use this energy?
JOE: I have several activities planned involving other people. Still, I have some time for myself. My first priority is to record Are You Afraid of this Book.
CALLIOPE: Please refresh my memory.
JOE: Okay. I think some readers are fearful of The Pastor's Inferno due to its theme and content. Rather than hoping their fears will abate, I thought it might be useful to address them directly.
CALLIOPE: Weren't you working on that over the weekend?
JOE: I was. I completed the outline Sunday but didn't have time to record it yesterday. It seems the summer is busier than I thought it would be.
CALLIOPE: So you plan to do it today?
JOE: Yes. I also learned something interesting yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Larry Shearer wrote a review of Young Man of the Cloth for Amazon. He liked the book but commented that one particular conversation did not sound true to life.
CALLIOPE: So what did you learn?
JOE: That part of the editing process in fiction could be to read passages from the point of view of the narrator or other characters being described. I will be that character for a moment and consider whether the passage describes me accurately. I'll try it today and let you know how it works. See you tomorrow.
(Bailey on the Allegany)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Elated.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I sat down yesterday to write another chapter of Marital Property and could almost smell the ending of the book. I wrote until the last word was typed. Now I have a finished draft.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. What's next?
JOE: Trying to stay in balance. I will start the editing process. I have already made corrections based on comments of the Lift Bridge Writers' Group to the six chapters I have read to them. Now is the process of crafting the right ambiance, characterization, phrases and words.
CALLIOPE: You sound excited about the prospect.
JOE: I am. I enjoy it. Even though I don't feel I know much about poetry, it seems to me that editing is more like poetry than fiction. I have to be very attentive to the nuances of each phrase and word in a way I don't when writing the story.
CALLIOPE: Good observation. Maybe you need to invoke some help from my sister muses.
JOE: I am happy with your input. If you would like to consult with them as we go along, I would appreciate all the help I can get.
CALLIOPE: Will do.
JOE: Thanks. Now on to the next phase.

(Menemsha Harbor-Lobster Pots-Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Well, but I don't feel too ambitious. I am having a hard time getting started this morning.
CALLIOPE: Any particular reason?
JOE: None that I can think of. I guess I am just in a lazy mood.
CALLIOPE: What do you think you can find to motivate you?
JOE: Let me look at the writing quotes I found yesterday. Hmmm...Here's something by Isaac Bashevis Singer, "Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. The chasm is never completely bridged. We all have the conviction, perhaps illusory, that we have much more to say than appears on the paper."
CALLIOPE: How does that apply to how you are feeling right now?
JOE: I want to get on with my novel, Marital Property, but am at a crossroads.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I am nearing the end of the story. Although my couple has made good progress, I feel there is a need for a crisis to test how far they have come and I am having difficulty thinking of one.
CALLIOPE: Where do you think you might look?
JOE: I started this project by defining the traits of my characters. Part of what I discovered was each of their weaknesses and blind spots. I think a good crisis would plunge both of them into their worst fears about themselves and each other.
CALLIOPE: Excellent. Does that give you some ideas?
JOE: Yes. I will go back to my initial character descriptions and find out what kind of a conflict would hit both of them between the eyes. I'd better get going while I have the momentum.

(Rocky Mountains- Colorado)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. I am anxious to hear about your new novel.
JOE: Well, it's not exactly new. I have had the idea for about ten years but never did much with it before.
CALLIOPE: Why not?
JOE: I had just recently gone through a divorce and I think the experience was still too close and too personal for any kind of objectivity.
CALLIOPE: I guess I can understand that. It is hard to be objective when your emotions are still tossing you about. Yet your emotions are what would make the story real and interesting.
JOE: I realize that. However I was unable to find any sort of balance between objectivity and my personal feelings.
CALLIOPE: I know what you mean. I think the best fiction is a metaphor for the author's inner struggles. But the author needs to be able to see beyond them to make them a metaphor.
JOE: Exactly. I couldn't get beyond my own struggles to find any metaphors. I was locked in them in a way which paralyzed me.
CALLIOPE: Good insight. How about now?
JOE: Now I have had time to digest what happened to me. Parts of my experience are still a mystery, but I think now I can approach the topic with a better sense of balance. I also have learned a great deal about writing fiction, particularly using dialogue. I think I am ready now.
CALLIOPE: Great. Keep me posted.