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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. I was afraid you might be sleeping in. JOE: No. I had an appointment with my doctor this morning to see what condition my condition is in. CALLIOPE: And what is your condition? JOE: Good. I have lost considerable weight and am ready to try a decrease in blood pressure medication. CALLIOPE: Good progress. What about your mind? JOE: We didn't assess that. I think my physical progress provides an incentive to pursue my emotional well being. CALLIOPE: What are you doing in that regard? JOE: Continuing to work on recharging my batteries. CALLIOPE: How? JOE: Concentrating on reading good literature and looking for inspiration to improve my own creative expression. CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good plan. Any progress on the publicity videos? JOE: I finally have mastered the technology involved. I can now record, edit, convert and post videos to YouTube. This should also include MySpace although I have not tried it yet. CALLIOPE: Good, what about the planning for Ten Reasons for and against reading The Pastor's Inferno? JOE: I finished the outline a few days ago. Sorry I forgot to mention it. In my practice video yesterday, I recorded the introduction to Ten Reasons. I think it should go smoothly. I will continue working on it. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Still pondering my lying fallow. CALLIOPE: What are you pondering specifically? JOE: I tried to shut off my logical brain for a while, but it doesn't seem to want to cooperate. CALLIOPE: What is it doing? JOE: Bringing up thoughts of whether I should continue my writing efforts or just enjoy retirement or do something else. CALLIOPE: Sounds rather drastic. Where do you think those thoughts originate? JOE: Probably from realizing that publicity and marketing are much more complicated than I thought even though I have been learning all I can. CALLIOPE: Speaking of which, how are the videos coming? JOE: I guess that's part of the frustration. I have struggled with the technology to the point of frustration. Finally I have all the pieces in place and have developed an outline for the first video, Ten Reasons To Read The Pastor's Inferno and Ten Reasons Not To. CALLIOPE: So what's the problem? JOE: I felt my energy drained by the effort. I'm ready to go technically but flagging in my motivation. CALLIOPE: You mentioned recharging. Did you do anything in this regard? JOE: Yesterday I resumed work on a painting of the Block Island Lighthouse I promised to have finished by the beginning of July. I also attended a picnic for cancer survivors last night and got out of myself as well as having some help putting my good fortune in perspective. CALLIOPE: Those sound like positive steps. Now what? JOE: More painting today. I think I will also try a test video with the technology I have recently discovered to consider the quality of the video. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Pensive. CALLIOPE: I think maybe you better explain that one. JOE: Okay. Yesterday my trusted reviewer Jerry sent me his reactions to my current draft of Marital Property. CALLIOPE: And? JOE: He liked the story but thought the characters were too stereotyped and did not come to life. CALLIOPE: Did his comments surprise you? JOE: No. I felt the same thing as I was writing the story. I tried to make some revisions but I am afraid they fell short. CALLIOPE: How do you think this happened? JOE: I talked with Gerry about it and concluded that I have been living a fairly isolated existence lately with most of my time spent before a computer screen. I think I have become too insular and introverted. My creative juices have been drying up. CALLIOPE: Not a good state for a writer. What do you plan to do about it? JOE: I think I need to take a break from writing and work on restoring my creative energy maybe through art, photography and spending more time socially. I see myself as a cotton field which has been over cultivated and exhausted. It needs time to recover. CALLIOPE: That seems to fly in the face of conventional writer wisdom to keep writing no matter what. JOE: I realize that but I have not always been conventional. In fact, I think I am at my best when I allow myself to be unconventional. We'll talk some more about this tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for another week? JOE: I guess so. CALLIOPE: You don't sound too enthused. JOE: I feel like an alligator sleeping on the shore, too lazy to move. CALLIOPE: What a way to start the week. Do you have anything planned? JOE: I do. Over the weekend, I spent my free time reading which I enjoyed. However I didn't start working on the videos. CALLIOPE: So what's your excuse? JOE: None other than inertia. But I did set them as my main goal for this week. I received a new cable for my video camera and will try it out today. If I still can't get me camera to connect to my computer, I will proceed using my webcam although I am not thrilled by the quality. But at least it would be a start. CALLIOPE: I agree. You seem to have trouble becoming motivated in general lately. JOE: I guess you're right. I wrote in my journal earlier this morning that I would just as soon spend the day sitting on the porch reading again today. But I don't think I will. CALLIOPE: Where do you suppose the answer lies? JOE: I think in just getting myself in gear. Once I am on the move mentally, I think I can keep going, the other side of inertia. CALLIOPE: See what you can do today. Otherwise we will need to look at more drastic steps. JOE: Yes Ma'am. I'll do my best. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Hot, but otherwise fine. CALLIOPE: Did you accomplish anything yesterday? JOE: A swim, but not much else. I had little ambition yesterday and didn't even follow through with the few plans I had. However I did enjoy an outing last night with my grandson and favorite clown. CALLIOPE: I guess we all deserve a little down time. How about today? JOE: I don't have much time. I am baking bread and have coleslaw to prepare for this afternoon. I think the most I will accomplish will be to post my column on my website. Tomorrow I have little on the agenda and will get serious about planning my videos. I spent some time yesterday reading Maugham's Of Human Bondage, recommended for its description, particularly of characters. CALLIOPE: And your conclusion? JOE: Cindy was right. He does an excellent job. Recent literary fiction of my acquaintance is tricky and intricate but does not seem to have much of a plot. I think that is a missing element. CALLIOPE: Why do you suppose this is? JOE: Maybe life is seen as not having much purpose any more. I guess I'm not really sure. This phenomenon does not seem to appear in short stories I have read. CALLIOPE: Something to consider. Anything happening with Commonsense Wisdom for Teens. JOE: I have posted questions on several sites about the need for and process of obtaining teen permission for inclusion of their input. CALLIOPE: Is there a consensus of opinion? JOE: Questionnaire data seems OK to include but narrative seems to require parental input. The process remains somewhat of a mystery. But I will give it further thought. Talk with you Monday. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Fine. I just got back from a massage and am feeling quite relaxed. CALLIOPE: Ready to go to work now? JOE: I am. Yesterday I caught up on most of my marketing and correspondence. CALLIOPE: Most? JOE: Well, I still need to send the Daily News review of The Pastor's Inferno to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. CALLIOPE: Is that difficult? JOE: It wasn't the last time I sent one. I hope it's not too complicated. CALLIOPE: What's up for today? JOE: I was just wondering that myself. I would like to review another story on Critique Circle and then post Or Not To Be for review. Then I think I will get to work planning the videos I have had on hold. CALLIOPE: Why on hold? JOE: I am not satisfied with the video quality of my webcam. I am waiting for a new USB cable for my Canon camera so I can use it for recording my podcasts. I expect it any day. CALLIOPE: What's kept you from doing the planning? JOE: Procrastination. I focused on other things while waiting for the cable. But today I'm ready to get going. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| 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. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning? JOE: Much better thanks. CALLIOPE: Do what do we owe this resurgence? JOE: I left for the Liftbridge Writers Group meeting last night plagued by self doubt about my writing and also wondering why my efforts were not appreciated more. CALLIOPE: Did the meeting change your somber mood? JOE: Indeed. What I thought made for a good story contained some glaring errors and an obvious (to everyone but me) inconsistency in the age of my protagonist which thoroughly distracted everyone including me once it came to my attention. CALLIOPE: How did you end up submitting such a flawed piece? JOE: I just finished pondering that matter. In my excitement about developing a story idea so quickly during the 24 hour contest, I became carried away and ignored some of the basics. When I write, I like to let a story percolate a while before I reconsider it for necessary revisions. I did not allow myself enough time for this to happen and submitted it in its raw state. No one to blame but me. CALLIOPE: So you learned something from the experience? JOE: I did. Next time I will build in some percolation time to let the story settle before a final review. CALLIOPE: And you learned all this last night? JOE: Yes and No. Our new member, Cindy, pointed out how our unconscious mind can sense what we can't articulate at the moment. I think this happened to me last night and I didn't realize what I had learned until I started writing my journal this morning. Thanks, Cindy. CALLIOPE: So where is this story now? JOE: Posted on Author's Den if you are interested. Look for The Child Bride under short stories at www.authorsden.com. Talk with you tomorrow. |
JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning? JOE: Much better thanks. CALLIOPE: Do what do we owe this resurgence? JOE: I left for the Liftbridge Writers Group meeting last night plagued by self doubt about my writing and also wondering why my efforts were not appreciated more. CALLIOPE: Did the meeting change your somber mood? JOE: Indeed. What I thought made for a good story contained some glaring errors and an obvious (to everyone but me) inconsistency in the age of my protagonist which thoroughly distracted everyone including me once it came to my attention. CALLIOPE: How did you end up submitting such a flawed piece? JOE: I just finished pondering that matter. In my excitement about developing a story idea so quickly during the 24 hour contest, I became carried away and ignored some of the basics. When I write, I like to let a story percolate a while before I reconsider it for necessary revisions. I did not allow myself enough time for this to happen and submitted it in its raw state. No one to blame but me. CALLIOPE: So you learned something from the experience? JOE: I did. Next time I will build in some percolation time to let the story settle before a final review. CALLIOPE: And you learned all this last night? JOE: Yes and No. Our new member, Cindy, pointed out how our unconscious mind can sense what we can't articulate at the moment. I think this happened to me last night and I didn't realize what I had learned until I started writing my journal this morning. Thanks, Cindy. CALLIOPE: So where is this story now? JOE: Posted on Author's Den if you are interested. Look for The Child Bride under short stories at www.authorsden.com. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Okay. CALLIOPE: You sound a little glum. What's bothering you? JOE: I told you a while ago about the short story contest I entered. I thought I wrote a very good story. CALLIOPE: And? JOE: It won no prizes, not even an honorable mention. CALLIOPE: So? JOE: Now I am beginning to doubt my writing. I have noticed more difficulty lately being creative. CALLIOPE: Have you thought about seeking some other reactions to your writing? JOE: I have. Two people I respect are currently reading Marital Property and will no doubt return honest appraisals. I will also post Child Bride and Or Not To Be in two on-line communities for feedback. I am also meeting with Lift Bridge Writers Group and will share one of my stories, probably Child Bride. CALLIOPE: Do you think the religious criticism overtones of Child Bride had any influence on the contest judges? JOE: I wish I knew, but they don't offer any feedback. I do plan to read the winners and see how they differ from my writing. CALLIOPE: Good idea. It's always good to consider the source in assessing opinions. JOE: You're right. Maybe I'm selling myself short. I will defer judgment. 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.