focus

 


(In Muir Woods)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How is your CD coming?
JOE:Thanks for asking. I completed it, sent in the tracks and jewel case info and am now waiting for my demo to arrive.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: If it sounds good, I'll set it up for distribution.
CALLIOPE: Good. Time to relax now?
JOE: I did that yesterday and also read more of Julia Cameron's book, The Write to Write.
CALLIOPE: Did you discover anything profound?
JOE: I found something I already knew but phrased better than I could have done.
CALLIOPE: Please share.
JOE: She quoted Arthur Kretchmer as saying, "Write for your ideal reader, the one who will get everything you say."
CALLIOPE: So you don't waste time trying to reach people who are only vaguely interested in your work.
JOE: Exactly. Anything I write will enthrall some people, raise some interest in others and bore the rest.
CALLIOPE: So you concentrate on those who care.
JOE: I have been trying to but will work harder at it. Talk with you tomorrow.

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Waiting for Spring.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it?
JOE: I feel as if my mind has been fallow lately, like a a field not yet plowed and planted for the new season.
CALLIOPE: How did you reach that conclusion?
JOE: It just occurred to me this morning while I was writing my journal.
CALLIOPE: What did you realize about yourself and your writing?
JOE: I don't feel creative ideas tugging at me anxious to be written.
CALLIOPE: What about the computer virus problem you wrote about yesterday?
JOE: I think it was just an excuse for not doing anything. I could have turned off my computer and written on paper.
CALLIOPE: No doubt. What do you think is paralyzing you?
JOE: I hadn't thought of it as paralysis but now that you mention it, I suppose that is what I am feeling. I think it might be a philosophical problem. My chosen goal is to help others understand themselves and take responsibility for their interactions with others. Lately it seems many people are giving up any concern about each other and just grabbing what they can with no concern for their own integrity or effect on anyone else.
CALLIOPE: Sounds depressing. Do you plan to just give up?
JOE: I'm not that desperate. But I do need to get refocused. I just need to figure out how. Talk with you on Monday.

(Butterfly in a museum)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Anything exciting going on today?
JOE: Maybe, but not here. It's a quiet day and cold too. Carol and I did get out for some early morning cross country skiing.
CALLIOPE: Sounds adventurous of you.
JOE: We try to make the best of whatever comes our way. It seemed better to ski than to curse the coldness to paraphrase one of my favorite bible sayings.
CALLIOPE: Can't argue there. What else is going on?
JOE: I had lunch with a fellow Leroy writer yesterday, Bob Fussell.
CALLIOPE: How did that go?
JOE: Quite well. We have a fair amount in common in our life outlooks but have taken different tacks in our approaches to writing.
CALLIOPE: That's what makes life interesting.
JOE: I can't argue there.
CALLIOPE: What are you up to today?
JOE: I wrote an article for a new magazine which is still in the developmental stages.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: As they develop, they are refining their focus. As a result they asked me to refine the piece I wrote for them.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel about that?
JOE: Okay. The longer I write the less sensitive I am to comments and suggestions about refining my writing. I plan to work on it today to see if I can adapt to their needs. They too were interested in my feelings and wanted a more feeling oriented piece. We shall see what emerges. Talk with you on Monday.