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- Getting Organized

(Work Space)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready to go again after the Labor Day weekend?
JOE: I am. I started my day yesterday with an organized list of things to accomplish.
CALLIOPE: How did that go?
JOE: Very well. I finished my two top priorities, writing my Seven Generations column for this Saturday and finishing Plug Your Book by Steve Weber.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: I also explored Barnes and Noble's e-reader which I think has possibilities.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: Getting organized. I have too many piles of papers. I've lost track of what they are about. I did start putting them in files so I can find things, but have quite a bit more to do.
CALLIOPE: That should keep you busy. Anything else on the agenda.
JOE: I plan to visit the web sites and groups which I joined but with which I have not been very involved lately.
CALLIOPE: I hope you are enjoying all this.
JOE: I don't enjoy the process of getting organized but work much more efficiently when the process is done.
CALLIOPE: Good luck with it.
JOE: Thanks. I'll talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(My new work space)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I've missed you.
JOE: I've missed talking with you as well.
CALLIOPE: Is your move finally completed?
JOE: It is. Yesterday I finished cleaning my old apartment and handed in the keys.
CALLIOPE: And your new space?
JOE: Also fully functional. Tuesday the cable people people came to hook me up to the Internet, VOIP phone as well as television, such as it is.
CALLIOPE: So, back to work?
JOE: Yes. I'm ready and have been a little restless during my hiatus.
CALLIOPE: Where do you plan to start?
JOE: By getting specific. I know the general commitments I have made to myself- blog, newspaper columns, marketing and working on Marital Property as well as Commonsense Wisdom for Teens.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to get specific?
JOE: By laying out objectives, tasks and time lines.
CALLIOPE: Do you feel that is necessary?
JOE: Yes. Lately I have felt like I have been spinning my wheels with all the balls I'm trying to keep in the air. I often don't know what to do next. I need to get organized. That's one of my goals for today. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Into the Woods)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A bit discombobulated.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I finally got my computer back from the shop yesterday. Now I have the task of reinstalling my programs which can be a challenge.
CALLIOPE: How's it coming?
JOE: Slowly. I think I will need the day to get set up again.
CALLIOPE: No literary activity today?
JOE: Probably not.
CALLIOPE: How about over the weekend?
JOE: Tomorrow I am scheduled for a writers' retreat at a farmhouse in Albion. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and recharging my creative batteries.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun.
JOE: I hope so. I also plan to meet some new contacts, particularly from the Linkup writers group in Rochester.
CALLIOPE: What do they have to offer you?
JOE: I hear they focus on publishing more than my group. I am hoping they can be helpful in my search for a home for Marital Property once it's finished. I have to leave early tomorrow. I'll talk with you if I have a chance. Otherwise we'll talk on Monday.

Converstions with Calliope-Dialogue with My Muse

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Raring to go.
CALLIOPE: Good. I take it you had a refreshing weekend.
JOE: I did. I chauffeured my clown Fuzzy to the Oatka Festival parade. While watching the parade I made two new contacts. Later we relaxed with friends in Penfield. Yesterday I found some sale books at the Leroy Library and continued reading The Poisonwood Bible and also completed my outline of the video, Are You Afraid To Read This Book.
CALLIOPE: Sounds busy as well as relaxing. What's on the agenda for today?
JOE: I have some library books out which I want to review for style today. I also have an evaluation to complete and the video to record.
CALLIOPE: That should keep you busy. Any progress with Marital Property?
JOE: No, I haven't had time to work on it. If I have time later today I will. If not, I will get back to it tomorrow.
CALLIOPE: You sound more organized today than you did last week.
JOE: I'm working on it. I feel I have a better sense of direction this week. I think it will help me get more accomplished.
CALLIOPE: I hope you're right.
JOE: I hope so too. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Morning- Leroy, 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: Excellent. I am feeling full of energy and ready to go.
CALLIOPE: To what do we owe the honor.
JOE: I had my last watercolor painting class last night and was quite satisfied with the nautical scene I painted. I think other forms of creative expression enliven my writing.
CALLIOPE: Good point. I hope that is true. I was a bit concerned about you not writing during the revision process for Marital Property.
JOE: I am too. I think it would be safe to say I am still writing even though new ideas are not the focus. In working on the manuscript yesterday, I was able to find some more creative and specific ways of stating what I had in the initial draft. It still feels creative to me.
CALLIOPE: I can't argue with that. I still wonder whether it would be a good idea for you to keep up writing for ideas.
JOE: I think I am keeping my hand in. I still have my biweekly column to write and got out the materials for Commonsense Wisdom for Teens yesterday. I could always work on that or possibly do an occasional short story to keep the wheels from getting rusty.
CALLIOPE: Now we're talking. I guess I would like to see you keep creative writing as part of your daily work rather than just spending the next few months on revision.
JOE: I can't argue with you. I will consider this and see if I can incorporate it into my plan.
CALLIOPE: What plan?
JOE: I am trying to balance revision, creative writing and marketing in my daily schedule. I could use more hours in the day, especially when I have outside commitments as well. Still, I will work to do my best to incorporate all this into the hours I have. Speaking of which, it's time to get to work. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Swordfisherman monument- Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I guess okay but I'm feeling a little scattered.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I feel like I am going in quite a few directions and have some difficulty handling them.
CALLIOPE: For instance?
JOE: I have a column due Saturday. I wanted to write about sexual deviation but was not sure what to say. I sat down to write and it flowed easily. Thanks to you?
CALLIOPE: Yes. You're welcome. What else?
JOE: I was writing in my journal about all the things I have to do today. I have to post the column and then I have writing to do on Marital Property, a news release to get out for my presentation at Lift Bridge Books on March 30, my taxes to start, bills to pay. You get the idea.
CALLIOPE: Did you think of any ways to get organized.
JOE: Yes. I wrote down what I have to do today so I don't forget anything. I will also organize the piles of paper which surround my workplace.
CALLIOPE: Good start. Did you do any writing yesterday?
JOE: None other than the column. I plan to write another chapter today.
CALLIOPE: Good. Will I get to see the column?
JOE: I have an agreement with The Daily News to publish it there first. However I will post it on my website Saturday in case you want to see it.
CALLIOPE: Good. I'll be looking forward to it.
JOE: I better get going if I want to put a dent in my list.

(Raven- Tower of London)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.

CALLIOPE: Good Morning, Joe. Ready for the new year?

JOE: I guess so. I plan to spend today organizing things so I can find them next year rather than tripping over them and having to search for them when I need them.

CALLIOPE: A noble aspiration. Do you plan to do your whole house?

JOE: That would be a bit much for me all at once. I think I will start with my writing room and do another perhaps once a week or so.

CALLIOPE: Sounds manageable. What did you do yesterday?

JOE: I had planned to work on marketing but ended up going to Unity Church in Rochester and having my grandson over to make cookies and watch him play video games.

CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything at Church?

JOE: Steve DeNunzio gave the lesson. He talked about context, stewardship and living in the now. All three topics were good reminders for me. I tend to spin my wheels sometimes.

CALLIOPE: How do his thoughts apply to your writing?

JOE: Sometimes I have to stop to think why I write or why anyone writes. Yesterday was a chance to consider these topics.

CALLIOPE: Why do you write?

JOE: To help people consider their lives. I do this with fiction as well as nonfiction. I thought I should make it part of the introduction to my writing so readers know what to expect and don't waste their time just looking to be entertained.

CALLIOPE: Noble of you. Do you think it is worth making an issue of it?

JOE: Yes. That's who I am. If people read my writing I want them to know they can expect to be invited to look at the human condition and their own lives in the process.

CALLIOPE: I will be interested to see how that works out.

JOE: So will I. On to cleaning and organizing.

(Nineteenth Century Church- Genesee Country Village)