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Dialogue with my muse |
| I have been carrying on a dialogue for almost a year. During this time we have discussed the progress of my writing, editing, and publishing efforts. Join in to listen to our conversation about my daily writing life and add your comments if you think of anything Calliope and I miss. |
| 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. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Back on my feet. I'm caught up with my correspondence and ready to get back into the groove. CALLIOPE: You mentioned in passing yesterday that you had written some seditious pieces. I don't recall discussing this with you before you. Could you elaborate? JOE: Toward the end of my monastic days, I started putting my thoughts on paper regarding reservations about the direction my religious order was taking. CALLIOPE: Was that so bad? JOE: I suppose not. My indiscretion was in circulating my writing which eventually fell into disapproving hands. CALLIOPE: I see. And that led to your being kicked out? JOE: Not directly. I was given a warning and put on probation due to my views. CALLIOPE: How did you deal with that? JOE: I wasn't quite ready to leave so I backed off for a while. I did not stop writing but tried to be more careful about who I let see my writing. CALLIOPE: Whose decision was it for you to leave in the end? JOE: I made the decision, but under duress and with a feeling of relief on the part of my superiors. CALLIOPE: Did your recent monastery visit give you any further perspective on your decision to leave? JOE: I realize I made the right decision. I think I have a better understanding of the various points of view prevalent at the time and that mine was not shared by the powers that be. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good afternoon Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I trust you had a nice trip to New York. JOE: Indeed it did. Memorable in many ways. CALLIOPE: Tell me about one. JOE: I visited a monk at Immaculate Conception Monastery in Queens where I once lived. It brought back many memories and helped me settle some things in my mind. CALLIOPE: Such as? JOE: Reading and writing for one thing. There were books I was forbidden to read (Kant, Descartes, etc) which I read anyway. I saw the locked room where they were then kept. CALLIOPE: What memories did that bring back? JOE: My own somewhat incendiary writings from the time which eventually got me sent out of the monastery. It was the first time my writing made a difference to anyone. CALLIOPE: Quite a start. How about now? JOE: I don't write anything quite so inflammatory. Now I just offer my readers a chance to look at their lives in a more subtle way. The brashness of youth! CALLIOPE: Amazing isn't it. Where did the experience leave you? JOE: Wondering about what topics I should address these days and in what manner. CALLIOPE: Sounds like a useful thought. JOE: We shall see. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What happened with the elite and pica authors? JOE: Good question. The discussion became hot and heavy for a while. CALLIOPE: Then what? JOE: The whole thread disappeared mysteriously without any explanation. CALLIOPE: Where do you think it went? JOE: Hard to say. I can only speculate. CALLIOPE: What's your speculation? JOE: Someone's feathers were probably ruffled. The site in question might prefer that its members play nice and don't raise any controversial issues or express any emotions. CALLIOPE: As you say, curious. JOE: I agree. I was waiting to see whether a rapprochement between traditionally and self published authors might be forthcoming. The conversation was whisked off before the result became evident. CALLIOPE: So now what? JOE: Hard to tell. I'm awaiting further developments. CALLIOPE: Do you have any plans? JOE: If no satisfactory conclusion arises, I am planning to start a forum for pica authors. I will be away for a few days and will get back to you mid week. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Riled up. CALLIOPE: Tell me about it. JOE: Yesterday I read on LinkedIn a post suggesting that self published writers should not be allowed to call themselves authors. CALLIOPE: In those words? JOE: The suggestion was made that it "smacks of hubris" for self published authors to consider their writing better than what gets published by the big New York publishing houses. CALLIOPE: Ah yes, hubris. Finally a Greek word. As it recall it means an exaggerated sense of self importance. JOE: That's my recollection as well. I don't recall throngs of self published writers trying to outdo those favored by the big boys. I do think they would like some respect and are sometimes relegated to lower status by those who have made it big. CALLIOPE: What explains this reaction? JOE: In my opinion, they are the ones with hubris, at least those who lord it over self published writers or possibly their insecurity is showing. CALLIOPE: Do you know for sure what their motivation is? JOE: I have learned over the years that motivation is a complex subject and usually has more than one aspect. But you asked for my opinion. CALLIOPE: Well taken. What's your suggestion? JOE: Maybe those who publish with the big boys could be called elite authors while those who self publish or who write and don't publish could be known as pica authors. Talk with you tomorrow |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: In a reflective mood. CALLIOPE: About what? JOE: I was just speculating to myself about what makes the world so interesting and worth writing about. CALLIOPE: Did you come to any conclusions? JOE: I'm not sure I can speak for everyone, but the mystery I find in nature and in people fascinates me. CALLIOPE: Tell me more. JOE: I have been working on a piece about what God means to me. After writing about it for a while, I reached the conclusion that I find God in the mysteries which surround me at every turn waiting to fascinate me if I just stop to pay attention to them. CALLIOPE: Are you able to unravel the mysteries? JOE: Not usually. CALLIOPE: Isn't that frustrating? JOE: Not really. I can sit with a mystery and enjoy its intricacy, realizing I am in the presence of something more profound than I am. It's my way of being close to God. CALLIOPE: I see. Sounds like a good realization. JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Energized. CALLIOPE: How so? JOE: I told you I work up that way yesterday. I struggled all last week to write anything. Yesterday ideas flowed easily from my mind to my fingertips and into cyberspace. CALLIOPE: Glad all systems are go. What's on your mind this morning? JOE: One of the insights I had yesterday dates back to incidents which took place forty five years ago. Thoughts about what happened arose from thinking about meeting next week with an old classmate from the seminary I last saw in 1965. CALLIOPE: Tell me about the insight. JOE: I had been living in a monastic order and became increasingly more in conflict with the powers that be. I have struggled off and on over the years to understand what happened. CALLIOPE: And you finally figured it out? JOE: I think so. At least I have an idea. Those in charge were seeking to rediscover the roots of the order. I was on top of the tree, more interested in branches and new growth. Mutual distrust evolved from not being on the same page. CALLIOPE: An interesting thought. How can you use it now? JOE: Obviously it is too late to reconcile anything. But this might be a good theme for a story, or perhaps more than one. CALLIOPE: Let's watch for one. JOE: Sounds good for me. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday. JOE: I didn't feel inspired to write. CALLIOPE: Don't blame me. I was here waiting for you. JOE: I know. I don't blame you. CALLIOPE: What was it then? JOE: As I told you, I have not felt much like writing all week and found it a struggle to get anything into words. CALLIOPE: To what do you attribute this lack of inspiration? JOE: It took me a while to figure it out. CALLIOPE: Please share what you discovered. JOE: I have been reading about the dark night of the soul as you know. Last week was not one for me as far as I know. However I have been there in the past and have worked with many people as they struggled to make sense of them. CALLIOPE: What was the effect of reading about it? JOE: I have come to understand the dark night as a time of putting ordinary life on hold, stepping back and reevaluating life. Just reading about it put my creative thoughts on hold for a while. CALLIOPE: How long do you expect this to last? JOE: I awoke at 4:30 this morning my mind brimming with creative ideas. I guess it's over now. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Looking forward to the warmth and sunshine promised by today's forecast. CALLIOPE: Nothing special on your mind today? JOE: Nope. It's nice to feel at peace with nothing nagging at me. CALLIOPE: Do you only write when something is bothering you? JOE: Good question. I hadn't thought of it that way before. CALLIOPE: Do you have an answer? JOE: For the most part, I think I only write when I think something needs to be changed. Sometimes I write about things or people I appreciate. CALLIOPE: Other that the weather, what else do you appreciate about today? JOE: A sense of prosperity in troubled times, being at peace in my relationship, having the freedom to do whatever I want to today with no expectations placed on me and endless possibilities for how I spend my time. CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're in a fortunate position. JOE: I think so. I wish I could find a way to share it with others. CALLIOPE: I think you just did. JOE: I guess you're right. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Fine. Our travels the last couple days resulted in Carol finding a new car for a reasonable price. CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. What did you learn from the process? JOE: Good question. I think I learned a few things about prosperity. CALLIOPE: Tell me more. JOE: Several years ago I retired from my psychology practice to focus entirely on my writing. CALLIOPE: How does prosperity fit in? JOE: When I retired, I realized I would have much less money to live on. I thought about this as Carol bought a new car. I don't know if I will ever be in a position to do so myself. CALLIOPE: Does that bother you? JOE: Sometimes it nags at me. I don't have oceans of money at my disposal and can't always do things I would like to do. CALLIOPE: Is there another side to it? JOE: I am freed from pursuing money. I have enough to live on and provide my basics as well as some left over for our travels. CALLIOPE: Are you okay with that? JOE: Most of the time. Sometimes I wish I had more money to pursue my interests. I usually come back to realize that oodles of money don't always make people happy. Usually I can accept the life I have chosen. Talk with you tomorrow. |
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Hope they like snow! 
I just tell them to go get a life...
It's a sunshiny 24 here at the moment; 19 in Buffalo.