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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 was your weekend. JOE: I enjoyed it. On Saturday I worked on my story and on Sunday I relaxed and read. CALLIOPE: Tell me about the story. JOE: Okay. I told you I was working on it, but not furiously. I transferred what I had written to the computer and reviewed what I had written. CALLIOPE: How do you usually write a story? JOE: I usually start with a theme and begin writing. As I progress I develop the characters, plot and ending. CALLIOPE: Did this one work that way? JOE: For the most part. I took a walk after transcribing what I had written. When I returned, I had in my head quite a few ideas about ways to strengthen my presentation. I also had the ending in mind. CALLIOPE: Did you finish it? JOE: Not yet. I plan to today or tomorrow so I will have it ready for the Liftbridge Writers Group tomorrow night. CALLIOPE: When can I see it? JOE: I will post it on Critique Circle and Author's Den probably on Wednesday and let you know when it is ready for your viewing. CALLIOPE: I can't wait. JOE: I'm excited about it too. This is the first short story I have written in some time. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| 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: Honesty. 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. |
| 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. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Well, thank you. CALLIOPE: Tell me about your interview. JOE: Kristin from the Daily News arrived to interview me about The Pastor's Inferno. I felt prepared based on publicity I have been working on lately, particularly the live interview with Phil Davis. CALLIOPE: What did she ask? JOE: She was interested in the development of me writing, why I wrote the books I did, particularly The Pastor's Inferno. CALLIOPE: What else? JOE: She wanted to know about my perceptions of readers' reactions so far. I told her about some people seeing the book as an attack on priests. CALLIOPE: It isn't, is it? JOE: Of course not. The point of it is that we all make mistakes, some of them drastic. No matter what we do there is a path to redemption if we are willing to look for it and follow it no matter where it takes us. CALLIOPE: Do you think you were able to clarify this with her? JOE: I do. I guess the only thing to do now is to wait to see her article. CALLIOPE: What's new on other fronts? JOE: I put marketing on the back burner this week to work on completing the edit of Marital Property. I have it over half finished, but still have quite a bit of work to do. I hope to have it completed this week. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Good. I have been busy. I was up at 5:30 to take Carol's son Mike and his partner Joe to Rochester for their bus back to New York. Then Carol and I had breakfast at Scooters and here I am preparing for my interview. CALLIOPE: What interview? JOE: The Daily News in Batavia is planning an article on The Pastor's Inferno and is coming here to interview me for it. CALLIOPE: What do you plan to say? JOE: I've just been wondering about that. I sent them a copy of Ten Reasons for and against buying my book and might focus on that. CALLIOPE: Anything else? JOE: I would like to discuss my writing development to some extent as well as what brought me to write the book. I sent them a copy and some publicity but don't know what focus they plan to take. CALLIOPE: Any other points you wish to make? JOE: I would like to stress it's being a novel for the thinking person, my fantasy of what might take place in an abusive priest's mind. I think my main point is that understanding such a priest gives us all an insight into the human condition in which we all live. CALLIOPE: That sounds like a good approach. JOE: I hope so. I think it might sell more copies if I could make it sound slick, but that's against my nature and also the purpose of the book. CALLIOPE: Good that you recognize that. JOE: I think so. I'll do my best and see what happens. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend. JOE: Very busy socially. I am so use to working alone most of the time, I found it a little difficult to adjust to being surrounded by people for three days. CALLIOPE: How did you handle it? JOE: I tried to keep up with the conversation. However I realized the writing life tends to make me more introverted that I realized. I have become used to the world in my head and more comfortable there than in the world of social relationships. CALLIOPE: Is that good or bad? JOE: I'm not sure. The problem is that I am stuck in my own world and am not sure I am on the same wavelength with others. CALLIOPE: You sound afraid you might be isolating yourself. JOE: I am. CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about it if anything. JOE: If I lived in a monastery again, I wouldn't be too concerned. Since I write for others, I think it important that I understand how they see the world, their hopes, fears and wishes. CALLIOPE: I couldn't agree more. I'm still not sure what you plan to do. JOE: All I can think of is to spend more time with people and ask them about their perceptions rather than dwelling so much on my own. I'll try it for a few days. I would also like to know if this is a problem for other writers and how they deal with it. CALLIOPE: Good. Let me know how it works out. JOE: I will. On to today's writing adventures. (Sand Wash- Batavia, NY) |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I didn't expect to hear from you today. JOE: Surprise. I told you I might stop by. CALLIOPE: Tell me about last night. JOE: I attended a rehearsal dinner for Megan, Carol's niece. CALLIOPE: And how was it? JOE: Very nice. It took me a while to feel social. I spend so much time alone writing and talking with you that I sometimes feel awkward in public. CALLIOPE: Not good. What do you plan to do about it? JOE: I think I need to stay more connected with people. When I don't get out, I still have several writers' communities where I can keep in touch with people. CALLIOPE: Do you plan to be more active there. JOE: I do. I had been meaning to be more active anyway but have been juggling quite a bit. I hope to finish editing Marital Property sometime this week which should give me more time. CALLIOPE: Hopefully so. What about the wedding today? JOE: I will be with many of the same people who attended the rehearsal dinner. I will make an effort to be more social. Then back to work. I'll talk with you on Tuesday. |
| 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. |
| 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. Joe Langen Sliding Otter Publications jlangen@commonsense-wisdom.com www.commonsense-wisdom.com Blog: commonsense-wisdom.blogspot.com |
| 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. |
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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.