Conversations with Calliope- Baby Steps

(Butterfly in the Trees)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Did you crank up your Spiritual Wisdom Project?
JOE: Glad you asked. I experimented with ways to record a sample selection.
CALLIOPE: With any success?
JOE: Yes, I'm glad to report. I was satisfied with the results.
CALLIOPE: Did you share it with anyone?
JOE: I asked Carol to listen to it.
CALLIOPE: How did she react?
JOE: Favorably. She thought it came out well.
CALLIOPE: Good. What's next?
JOE: Continue reviewing the selections to see if anything needs to be fixed.
CALLIOPE: Is that it for today?
JOE: It depends how far I get with the editing. My next project will be to start assembling the master CD.
CALLIOPE: Don't get carried away. Take your time and do it right.
JOE: Good advice. I tend to get a little ahead of myself at times. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope-Ready to Publish

(Summer Jetsam)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Is your company gone yet?
JOE: Yes. They left yesterday. Back to normal this morning.
CALLIOPE: Where does our book stand?
JOE: I thought you might ask. In between visiting and swimming at our friends' pool, I managed to finish the table of contents, index and a few minor revisions.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: Next is final review of the text to see if I missed anything.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: Then is conversion to PDF format and distribution.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to go about it?
JOE: I will announce it to my readers who subscribe to my newsletter and also post notices on the websites of communities to which I belong.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to automate distribution of the e-book.
JOE: Not at first. I will distribute it as an e-mail attachment to those who are interested.
CALLIOPE: What if you have a great response.
JOE: Then I will consider automating it. I thought the personal touch might be better if I can keep up with it.
CALLIOPE: It's nice that you have the time in this day and age of automation.
JOE: I think so too. At least I'll try it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(More Sunset over Lake Erie)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Struggling to stay calm and focused.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I received my bound galley of Navigating Life. After discussion I realized I had made some glaring errors in the manuscript.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: The bottom line is that I will need to correct them at an extra expense.
CALLIOPE: How did that happen?
JOE: ADHD strikes again. I thought I had that part of me under pretty good control.
CALLIOPE: Doesn't sound like it.
JOE: No it doesn't. I let my excitement about the project and rush to get it into print by Christmas lead to premature submission of the manuscript.
CALLIOPE: Now what?
JOE: I have been working steadily on corrections but taking breaks so as not to become fatigued.
CALLIOPE: How is it coming?
JOE: I think I have them done. I will look over the manuscript one last time to be sure I didn't miss anything. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(My writing desk)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I'm anxious to know how you made out with your book.
JOE: You will be happy to know that I have solved the problem. I now have correct pagination and a working index in Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. How did you do it?
JOE: Trial and error. I don't think Word has entirely clear directions.
CALLIOPE: What was the problem?
JOE: The section break seemed to be causing the problem. I had to format it in a certain way and then suddenly everything worked.
CALLIOPE: Great. Is the book ready for publication?
JOE: I want to look it over and possibly make a few minor changes.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: I realized from the index that the book is more spiritual than I had thought. I want to make that clear in the Prologue and in the back cover text.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean religious.
JOE: No. There is a distinction between religious and spiritual and I want to make that clear.
CALLIOPE: We should talk about that more.
JOE: How about tomorrow? See you then.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Old San Juan- Puerto Rico)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you yesterday.
JOE: Sorry I didn't make it. I had an early breakfast with my daughter.
CALLIOPE: All day?
JOE: Well, no. When I got back I decided to work on finishing Navigating Life before we talked.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I worked until late at night and never did finish.
CALLIOPE: How far did you get?
JOE: The cover is ready. No small feat. I used a template from my last book.
CALLIOPE: And the text?
JOE: I have it in a form I would like. But I still have one little problem.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: I can't seem to get the pagination and index to work together. I seem to have a choice of one or the other but not both.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about that?
JOE: I'm not sure. I have been working on it for quite a while but no success yet. I have a book and a CD on Office 2003 which includes my version of Word. I plan to research this and see if I can solve the problem. Otherwise the book is ready to go. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Caribbean Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine, but busy.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to?
JOE: Finishing up Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: What did you work on yesterday?
JOE: I figured out how to make an index. It's the first time I have done one.
CALLIOPE: How did it turn out?
JOE: Good so far. I have some editing to do on it but it is progressing.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: First I want to finish the index which I think I can.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: I have the cover to produce. I also plan to convert the book to a PDF to see how it will look in that format.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are reaching the end. Any other projects on tap?
JOE: I just received book of photographs to review. I'm looking forward to it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Oatka Creek through the reeds)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Very productive thank you.
CALLIOPE: What did you accomplish?
JOE: In addition to raking leaves, I finished most of the draft of Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: What did you do specifically.
JOE: I started with the list of articles I wanted to include. Then I organized them into themes. I found quotes for all the articles and also added "life lab lessons" to the articles which didn't have them. I also generated a table of contents.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you made quite a bit of progress. What's left to do?
JOE: This week I plan to start with introductions to the chapters and to the book as a whole. I also want to review the chapter and topic headings to make sure they are both catchy and informative. I would also like to add suggested readings and possibly an index although I'm not decided on that.
CALLIOPE: Sounds ambitions. You plan to do all this in a week.
JOE: Yes. Then there is the proofreading. I would like to have someone do it quickly and thoroughly. Carol has already reviewed the articles but is willing to review the introductions as well. I am still considering another reader, but haven't decided on this.
CALLIOPE: It's probably a good idea.
JOE: I agree. However I would like to get the book in print by the beginning of December if possible.
CALLIOPE: You will have to decide between thoroughness and expediency.
JOE: You're right. Always a tough choice for me. Talk with you tomorrow

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Acrobats- New Orleans)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I thought I might not see you today.
JOE: Never fear. I got involved in a movie this morning and then a floor project in the utility room.
CALLIOPE: There's always something.
JOE: No doubt about it.
CALLIOPE: What did you do yesterday?
JOE: Mostly worked on Marital Property. I am in the process of reading it aloud to see how it sounds.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: I'll decide whether it needs more work.
CALLIOPE: What kind of work?
JOE: I need to decided if it's interesting enough for me and then get some feedback.
CALLIOPE: What kind of feedback?
JOE: Another point of view. I will take a chapter or two to my writers' meeting on Tuesday and then have Carol, Bob and possibly others read it.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're on the right track. What about the publicity videos.
JOE: I'll get back to them on Monday and continue recording until I feel ready to post. Talk with you then.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Metropolitan Opera- New York)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Doing well. I have been busy already.
CALLIOPE: Doing what?
JOE: Planning our cellar party for a couple weeks for now, doing AM Yoga with Rodney Yee and my journal. Now I'm here with you.
CALLIOPE: Glad you could fit me in. What did you accomplish yesterday?
JOE: I finished reviewing Gerry's annotated comments on my Marital Property manuscript. I also worked on the videos.
CALLIOPE: What's next on the manuscript?
JOE: I have Gerry's general comments to review again and then go through the manuscript to see how it reads out loud.
CALLIOPE: And the videos?
JOE: I recorded them and reviewed them for style and content. I could see ways where they could be improved.
CALLIOPE: Do you still think you can do them yourself?
JOE: I'm inclined to think so but will reserve judgment for a few more takes.
CALLIOPE: Keep up the good work.
JOE: Thanks for the encouragement. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Carol examining jewelry)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What have you been up to?
JOE: I was in Batavia all day yesterday getting my car fixed and helping my son set up a print show as well as photographing his most recent prints.
CALLIOPE: Does that mean you had no time for literary pursuits?
JOE: Unfortunately it does. I guess I can't count on having every day available for writing.
CALLIOPE: I guess you're right. What about today?
JOE: A different story. I plan to get back to work.
CALLIOPE: Doing what specifically?
JOE: Further takes on my promotional videos for one thing.
CALLIOPE: Do you think you can produce acceptable ones on your own?
JOE: Good question. I was just thinking about that. I don't think they need to be highly professional for YouTube or MySpace. If I'm not satisfied I am considering looking for a communications student at Genesee Community College who might be in need of a project.
CALLIOPE: Good thought. Anything else planned?
JOE: I plan to get back to revision of Marital Property and consideration of my friend Gerry's comments which he sent some time ago.
CALLIOPE: How come you have not looked at them yet?
JOE: I wanted to finish my first person oriented draft first. Now it is ready. On with the show. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Ornamental Grass- Pavilion, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I was a little surprised to reach the end of my revision of Marital Property yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Why were you surprised?
JOE: I have been working on it a little at a time but had many interruptions during my move. I can finally sit down for some sustained work and reached the end.
CALLIOPE: Great. What's next?
JOE: I want to review comments my friend Gerry sent me. I was waiting to consider them until I had finished this revision.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear you are making progress. How about the promotional videos?
JOE: I recorded a couple practice runs. One version is easy to edit. The other version with the better video and sound seems to need some editing with a program I bought but need an access code which eludes me.
CALLIOPE: Do you have the code?
JOE: Somewhere. I think I just need to find it.
CALLIOPE: At least you are making progress on that front as well.
JOE: I am beginning to feel I am getting back into the groove. I also looked up some references for teen stories to include in Commonsense Wisdom for Teens.
CALLIOPE: Great. Keep it up.
JOE: I plan to. talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Having a little difficulty realizing that I finally reached the end of my second edit of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: It's certainly a milestone. Next it is off to your readers?
JOE: Not my public but to Carol and Gerry who have been most helpful to me in the past.
CALLIOPE: What do you expect of them?
JOE: H0nesty. I count on them to tell me how the story comes across to them and whether I need to make any major shifts in emphasis.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: Yes. They will also tell me when they encounter awkward phrasing and when I am not clear in how I express myself.
CALLIOPE: Good. Have you ever considered using a professional editor?
JOE: The thought has occurred to me. I think there would be advantages and disadvantages. A professional editor would probably be somewhat more objective although my traditional readers have not pulled any punches in the past and I don't expect them to this time.
CALLIOPE: Any other thoughts?
JOE: I fear that a professional editor would look at my work chiefly in terms of its commercial potential, although this might not be entirely fair. My personal editors know me, what I am trying to say and what my goals are. I don't think a professional editor would approach my work in these terms. Of course, I can't say any of this for sure since I have never engaged one.
CALLIOPE: Do you know what other writers' experience has been?
JOE: No, but that's a good question. I would like to find out and will research it in my writer communities. Maybe someone will share their experience here as well. You're all invited. Talk with you on Monday.
(Muir Woods- California)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Doing well. Despite a rather busy day, I did make considerable headway with editing Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: How much headway?
JOE: I am within striking distance of the end and plan to finish it this morning.
CALLIOPE: Good. What's the next step?
JOE: I have two readers ready to go to work.
CALLIOPE: Professional editors?
JOE: No. But both tend to be quite attentive to detail and in the past have pointed out difficulties which eluded me.
CALLIOPE: How did the difficulties get past you?
JOE: When I am deeply involved in a manuscript, I sometimes overlook problems or typos which I think I would notice in someone else's manuscript.
CALLIOPE: Have you had any experience editing others' work, particularly fiction?
JOE: Yes. I joined a group called Critique Circle in which we read and comment on each other's fiction. I have found it helpful in approaching my own writing more critically.
CALLIOPE: It sounds like you are on the right track.
JOE: I think so. Later today I will return to my marketing efforts. But more about that tomorrow.
(Sand Wash- Batavia, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I was beginning to worry that you might not show up today.
JOE: I told you I would be here I have been staying flexible. This morning Carol and I prepared Strata, a fine dish for Mike and Joe who are in from New York for a wedding. Then we visited a friend and stopped by the house sale for Aunt Lucille's possessions.
CALLIOPE: Did you need anything?
JOE: No. I'm planning a column called Remains of a Life and wanted to have a fresh image of the sale for my writing.
CALLIOPE: That sounds interesting. Shall I expect it in a couple weeks?
JOE: I would say so unless something more urgent arises.
CALLIOPE: And today?
JOE: I plan to work on editing Marital Property a while this afternoon. I think I told you sometimes I think I am juggling too much to stay organized and effective.
CALLIOPE: You did.
JOE: It finally dawned on me that I might be better off finishing some of the projects on my plate before moving on to others rather than being left with stale leftovers.
CALLIOPE: Interesting way to put it. Do you plan to finish Marital Property first?
JOE: I do. I think I can finish it by the end of next week and get it off to my readers for final edits. Then I can focus more on my marketing efforts.
CALLIOPE: I applaud your priorities.
JOE: I'm not sure my current set of priorities is better than anything else I might have devised. But at least I have them and should be able to stay with a plan and not keep tripping over myself.
CALLIOPE: I guess we shall see.
JOE: Indeed we shall. With everything going on, I might not be able to talk with you for a few days. I'll be back on line Tuesday if not before. Aloha.
(Alleghany River)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good. My main goal was to finish writing my column for Saturday and I accomplished that.
CALLIOPE: What is it about?
JOE: The title is Hear What You Want to Hear and Disregard the Rest.
CALLIOPE: Shades of Simon and Garfunkel. Tell me more.
JOE: I wrote about selective listening and how people often listen to what they agree with or are ready to dispute, ignoring everything in between and creating misunderstandings.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. Will it be available Saturday as usual?
JOE: Yes. On my Commonsense Wisdom website.
CALLIOPE: What else did you do yesterday?
JOE: Worked on familiarizing myself with my new camera. I feel like I am running short on stock photos. I also continued editing Marital Property and gave Carol some initial chapters to read.
CALLIOPE: You're making progress.
JOE: I am, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all I have chosen to do.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you realized you have chosen your tasks. Some people feel like they just have things dumped on them.
JOE: I know it is my choice and that I can work as hard and as fast as I want. I just need to keep my priorities straight. I think I might do better to finish the editing and then be free to concentrate on other tasks. On to editing. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Sunset- Dunkirk, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I started out feeling I was going around in circles. After I sat down to write my grateful things for today, I realized I have actually accomplished something this week.
CALLIOPE: So what's new?
JOE: I finally found a way to post my podcast interview with Phil Davis on MySpace (www.myspace.com/slidingotter). That took some doing but finally I installed it.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. I'll have a listen. Anything else?
JOE: Yesterday was busy. I took my daughter out for a birthday lunch, and also took my son to an appointment. In between I managed to start my short story, Or Not To Be, as well as my column for this Saturday on selective listening, title still under construction. I also worked on my second edit of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: Make sure you let me know when these are ready for viewing. What do you mean by "second edit?"
JOE: I will let you know. A second edit as I define it is an oral reading of my text. I have already made changes for continuity and clarity. This time I am listening to see how it sounds.
CALLIOPE: And today?
JOE: More work on the second edit. As background music, a plumber will be boring into a wall to replace a drain pipe. I can't wait. My main goal for today is finishing my column so I can have Carol read it tonight and get it posted to the Daily News tomorrow.
CALLIOPE: So you're not loafing?
JOE: No. I have a rehearsal dinner for Carol's niece's wedding on Friday night and the wedding on Saturday. We are having people fora party Sunday and will probably repair to the mountain on Monday or Tuesday where I would like to do some painting. So I will get a little break.
CALLIOPE: Will I still hear from you?
JOE: Probably sporadically over the next week depending on schedule. But now it's time to get to work. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Sunrise- Leroy, NY)

Commonsense Wisdom for Everyday Life

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Cranking along quite well.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to?
JOE: Yesterday was technology day. I bought a new digital camera to use capturing more photos for you to look at while reading our posts in Blogger. It took a while to get the software involved and working
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun.
JOE: Sometimes it can be a challenge.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE: Posting an audio proved harder than I thought it would be. I have posted it on my website, Commonsense Wisdom, and I think on MySpace but the message says they are still processing it, whatever that means. I also learned there are royalty free sites for music although there is still a download cost, at least for some of them.
CALLIOPE: What other challenges await you today?
JOE: I finally started my story, Or Not To Be, last night. I also need to get going on my column for Saturday which I will base on a Simon and Garfunkel song, or at least that's the current plan.
CALLIOPE: Let me know how it turns out.
JOE: The Daily News also called and will come next week to conduct an interview for an article on Marital Property. I'm looking forward to it and feel prepared after the interview with Phil Davis.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are making progress.
JOE: I think so. Now it's just a matter of juggling everything and keeping all the balls in the air. See you tomorrow.
(The Lagoon- Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Did you sleep in this morning?
JOE: Actually, no. I've been hard at work for a couple hours.
CALLIOPE: Really? Doing what?
JOE: My brain started working before I climbed out of bed, planning my Vineyard story.
CALLIOPE: You haven't started writing it yet?
JOE: No. Finishing my first edit of Marital Property gobbled up my time yesterday.
CALLIOPE: So you finally finished it?
JOE: Yes, I did and am ready to go onto the next stage.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Reading it out loud to see how it sounds. I have tried this as an editing technique before and found it quite useful.
CALLIOPE: I agree. What else did you do early this morning?
JOE: Phil Davis sent a great audio recording form our recent podcast interview. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. No readily apparent way to upload an audio file to MySpace, YouTube or my website presented itself to my feeble mind. I guess that will be a major undertaking as well unless someone suggests an easy way. The best way I could see was to convert it into a video file and upload it as I did my first podcast. Maybe there is an easier way, but I haven't discovered it yet.
CALLIOPE: Isn't technology wonderful?
JOE: Once I figure it out everything seems to make sense. In the mean time, I just plod along. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Rocky Mountains- Colorado)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not bad. I worked hard editing Marital Property yesterday and have only thirty pages to go to the end of the book.
CALLIOPE: Great progress. Then what?
JOE: I think that will complete the major editing. Next I will read the book aloud to see how it sounds and correct it for tone.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good next step. And after that?
JOE: Next is to call my reviewers back into action. I have several who read my books in the past and made excellent suggestions for revisions. I plan to ask them to read it.
CALLIOPE: Have you decided what to do about publication?
JOE: No. I think I might take another run at agents to see if I can generate any interest. If not, I will probably use Booklocker again and get started on Commonsense Wisdom for Teens.
CALLIOPE: How are your marketing efforts coming.
JOE: As you know I completed my first video and posted it on MySpace and YouTube. I plan to work on others starting Monday. I will complete a general podcast about my writing, readings from my other two books, ten reasons to read or not read each book and one about my Commonsense Wisdom for Teens project.
CALLIOPE: Sounds ambitious.
JOE: It is. I have plans laid out for the next few weeks.
CALLIOPE:I hope you can keep it all straight.
JOE: I hope so too. But at least I know where I'm headed. Talk with you on Monday.
(Erie Canal Lock- Lockport, NY)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A little weary. I spent most of yesterday working on revisions of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: How is it coming?
JOE: I forgot how much work revising a novel text demands. It seems to take forever although I think the quality of it improves with each edit.
CALLIOPE: That's encouraging. What's the hardest part.
JOE: Knowing what to do with the verb "to be" and all its forms. It makes for dull writing but I can't always easily find alternative ways to express myself.
CALLIOPE: Maybe it's just a bad habit.
JOE: Maybe so, but I'm working on it.
CALLIOPE: How are you going about it?
JOE: Mostly by reading The New Yorker, Salman Rushdie and others who might teach me by example.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: I just try to keep focused on finding better ways to express myself. In my last novel, I avoided almost all conversation tags and found other ways to denote the speaker.
CALLIOPE: Do you think you could write a whole novel without this verb. "To be or not to be. That is the question."
JOE: Very funny, but I have considered it. Could I do it? Maybe I can write a short story in that fashion. One is brewing in my mind about a woman in Martha's Vineyard. Maybe I'll try it on a smaller scale. See you tomorrow.
(Parliament Building- London)