writing

 


(Oatka Creek Dam)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's new?
JOE: I just received Joan Chittister's new book, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World.
CALLIOPE: It sounds similar to the theme of your writing.
JOE: Very observant. That's why I bought it.
CALLIOPE: Have you started reading it?
JOE: Yes. Last night.
CALLIOPE: Any revelations so far?
JOE: She starts with the problem of immediacy about which I have also written.
CALLIOPE: What's the problem?
JOE: The world moves now with a pace that seems impossible to keep up with. You have to act without thinking to keep pace. If not the world moves on without you.
CALLIOPE: What does she suggest?
JOE: I haven't gotten that far yet.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good book.
JOE: I have found her other writings well reasoned, thoughtful and helpful. I am sure this book will continue the tradition. Talk with you on Monday.

(Abbey of the Genesee)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How did your column on Michael Jackson turn out?
JOE: Quite well thank you. You will see it in its Sliding Otter News form this weekend.
CALLIOPE: What are you on to now?
JOE: Back to work on my CD.
CALLIOPE: How's it coming?
JOE: Good. I identified quite a few selections related to my idea of spiritual wisdom. I have started recording them and hope to have the CD done by the end of the month.
CALLIOPE: Doesn't sound like much time.
JOE: It isn't but it's going well. I have the production process ready. Hopefully it will work quickly as well.
CALLIOPE: Do you expect a good response?
JOE: It's hard to tell. I talked with a couple gift store owners who tell me there is a good market for CD's, m0ore so than books lately.
CALLIOPE: That's encouraging.
JOE: It is especially since there are more outlets for CD's in my rural community than there are for books.
CALLIOPE: Best of luck with your project.
JOE: Thanks. I'll just need to stay focused. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Fishing Nets)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Happy Saturday. How are you doing today?
JOE: Pretty well. I finished editing selections for my CD yesterday.
CALLIOPE: What CD?
JOE: I decided to record an audio CD of some of my writing selections.
CALLIOPE: What's the theme?
JOE: My articles on topics related to Spiritual Wisdom.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like an interesting area. Do you have a title for the CD yet?
JOE: I might just call it Spiritual Wisdom but I'm not sure yet.
CALLIOPE: How will you choose a title?
JOE: I'm doing a little keyword research on related phrases. Perhaps one will emerge from the process.
CALLIOPE: Any other avenues?
JOE: I have mentioned the project to a few people. Perhaps one of them will have a good suggestion.
CALLIOPE: You never know.
JOE: I have been fortunate to have good suggestions for my work in the past. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Pumpkin Bottom)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good but a little weary.
CALLIOPE: From what?
JOE: Watching the world series two night in a row rather than getting to be early. I was still up at the crack of dawn or before.
CALLIOPE: I didn't know you were a baseball fanatic.
JOE: I'm not. I don't usually get interested until sometime during the world series.
CALLIOPE: Anything especially fascinating to you?
JOE: Yes. Commentaries discussed hitting and pitching streaks and slumps. I saw a parallel with writing.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I wanted to write over the past week but just couldn't seem to immerse myself in it.
CALLIOPE: You have been writing.
JOE: Yes but not with much enthusiasm as much as I tried to generate some. Suddenly my boiler fired up and I'm back at it with full energy.
CALLIOPE: Another of life's mysteries?
JOE: I suppose so. I'm just glad my writing energy is back. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Belly Flop Contest)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I went to bed last night mad at myself for not accomplishing much.
CALLIOPE: How did that come about.
JOE: First I woke up tired after going to bed late Sunday night. My store of energy was nowhere to be found.
CALLIOPE: How did you spend the day?
JOE: Watching television in the morning and doing yard work in the afternoon.
CALLIOPE: Was it a total loss?
JOE: I realized this morning that it wasn't. The exercise of course was good for me. On TV I watched classic movies and studied their approach and technique. I also looked at the many commercials from a marketing point of view.
CALLIOPE: So you did accomplish something.
JOE: I didn't produce anything but did recharge my creative batteries much as a field is rejuvenated by being allowed to lie fallow for a time.
CALLIOPE: Is your field still fallow?
JOE: Not this morning. I plan to get back to work exploring several projects on the coals.
CALLIOPE: That's the spirit.
JOE: Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Columbus Circle Statues)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for another week?
JOE: I am.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to over the weekend?
JOE: I started reading Oliver Sacks' book Musicolophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: A provocative line toward the beginning raising a question about what use music is and why does it exist and enchant us. Then I spent Saturday evening enchanted by the Dady Brothers, Roxanne Ziegler and Irish Dancers.
CALLIOPE: To what end?
JOE: I reached the conclusion that sometimes words fail us and we must think and communicate in other ways.
CALLIOPE: As a champion of epic poetry, I must remind you that the arts were originally ways of relating our heritage, ideas and culture.
JOE: No doubt. But there is something else too. Even writing does not just convey information. It touches our souls and hearts and brings us together.
CALLIOPE: So you see the arts, including literature as a way for our minds and souls to communicate?
JOE: I do. I'm not sure I can explain it any further. Maybe it is something to contemplate without words.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps so. Let's both meditate on it.
JOE: Agreed. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Columbus Circle Sculpture)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Quite good.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to?
JOE: My major accomplishment yesterday was completing a critique of a friend's new book. I also posted my Sliding Otter News newsletter to my mailing list although I still need to post it to my website.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you have been busy.
JOE: I have. I also found some good information in Internet marketing and development of keywords. Steve Weber also sent me a very useful link for small business resources at http://www.monstersmallbusiness.com.
CALLIOPE: So you social networking is paying off.
JOE: It is. Also Writers Digest recently opened a site for writers at http://writersdigest.ning.com. It is already quite active and appears to be a very promising on-line community. I'm excited about it.
CALLIOPE: It's about time you got excited.
JOE: I agree. Sometimes I seem to just plod along. It's nice to have some enthusiasm.
CALLIOPE: Use it to good advantage.
JOE: I will. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Astoria Station)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. Everything seems in order and I have no distractions facing me today.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. What do you have planned?
JOE: Getting back to work.
CALLIOPE: Specifics please.
JOE: I have been gathering materials about search engine optimization and plan to start using them to my advantage.
CALLIOPE: Anything that still puzzles you?
JOE: I received a post from E-zine which listed search terms which their visitors used to find my articles.
CALLIOPE: Interesting.
JOE: I thought so. If I could find such a listing for terms visitors to my web site use, I would be quite grateful.
CALLIOPE: Where could you find such a list?
JOE: I'm not sure I could. So far I don't know how to look other than using a trial and error keyword program through Google keywords.
CALLIOPE: Something to explore.
JOE: There's always something. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Seaside Setting)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you thinking about today?
JOE: Distractions. I have been reading what Julia Cameron has to say about necessary surroundings for writing.
CALLIOPE: What does she have to say?
JOE: Among other things that there is no ideal writing environment. Even if there were, it would not guarantee that our writing would be any better than in the midst of distractions.
CALLIOPE: What do you think?
JOE: I think she's right. I sometimes dream of an ideal writing environment. Before you ask, it would be a seaside villa in the Caribbean with a breeze strong enough to rustle but not rumple the pages I am working on.
CALLIOPE: Have you ever had that experience?
JOE: I've been in such an environment, but found it too peaceful to bother writing. There's something about the bustle of everyday life which stirs me to action.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: Everyday events give me topics for my columns and also a context for other writing.
CALLIOPE: Don't they distract you as well?
JOE: They do but the also keep me from getting bored with long hours of writing.
CALLIOPE: I guess there is no ideal context for writing.
JOE: Not that I know of, but I keep plugging along. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Crawford Creek)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I wondered where you where.
JOE: I was attending the aforementioned funeral.
CALLIOPE: How did it go?
JOE: As well as can be expected for a funeral. Nothing I didn't expect.
CALLIOPE: Did you finish your article about weddings and funerals?
JOE: I finished it this morning. I wasn't quite sure what I would say but woke up this morning and found the title as well as the gist of it on the tips of my fingers. All I had to do was type it.
CALLIOPE: Strange how that just happens sometimes.
JOE: Don't be coy. I know about you muses and your ways.
CALLIOPE: Glad you appreciate us.
JOE: I do. I try to keep paying attention but sometimes my mind wanders.
CALLIOPE: Keep doing your best.
JOE: Another interesting thought. Sometimes I wonder how good I am but then I recall what Julia Cameron said about doing your best regardless of what you think about yourself.
CALLIOPE: Authenticity usually comes through somehow.
JOE: So I have come to understand. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. That seems like an odd title for you entry.
JOE: I suppose it is But those are the two events which kept me busy this weekend.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Families get together quite often for marriages and funerals. Sometimes they are the only places I have seen some of the people I know.
CALLIOPE: What else do they have in common.
JOE: I was just thinking about that for my Saturday column.
CALLIOPE: What did you come up with?
JOE: Both are significant way stations in life. Birth is the other major one but I didn't have one to celebrate this weekend.
CALLIOPE: Anything else.
JOE: The ideas is still percolating. Let me think a moment.
CALLIOPE: Not too long. You have work to do.
JOE: Right. Marriage is an occasion for a couple to join their lives and for their community of friends to join in support of their union.
CALLIOPE: And death.
JOE: Death and funerals provide families with a chance to remember the life of their loved one, say goodbye and comfort each other. I guess that's my theme. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Fall Foliage)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I hope you are doing better than you were yesterday.
JOE: I must admit I was discouraged and frustrated with my technology but I got it figured out.
CALLIOPE: How?
JOE: Strange you should ask. In trying to use various FTP programs, I kept seeing a troubleshooting question asking whether my web hosting had expired. I thought that was ridiculous.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: Well, I called my Internet service provider who checked and discovered that my web hosting had expired since I had not paid my bill.
CALLIOPE: On purpose?
JOE: Of course not. I just forgot it and like everything else, the service stopped when I stopped paying for it.
CALLIOPE: How was it resolved?
JOE: I paid it and had my services turned back on. I was then able to update my websites and was back in business.
CALLIOPE: You have to be more careful.
JOE: It would save me some trouble. But I tend to be more the artistic than business type.
CALLIOPE: At least you realize it.
JOE: I do. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Water Over the Dam)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How's your organizational plan going?
JOE: I got through one day and started yesterday on some changes to my website.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: Technology tripped me up again. My FTP program updated and then I was unable to log into my server.
CALLIOPE: Did you get it fixed?
JOE: No. I'm still stuck and will ask for some help from my Internet service provider.
CALLIOPE: Sounds frustrating.
JOE: It is. I worked on that and a problem with one of my e-mail accounts. Neither problem is resolved yet.
CALLIOPE: I take it that means you didn't get to work on your writing yesterday.
JOE: You take it correctly. So much for that plan.
CALLIOPE: You sound frustrated.
JOE: I am. Just when I start taking technology for granted it rears its ugly head and reminds me who's in charge.
CALLIOPE: I hope you get some answers and get back to work today.
JOE: I hope so too. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Boston Twilight)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Excellent. I spent it communing with nature and with people I enjoy being with.
CALLIOPE: Taking a break?
JOE: Not really. It's my way of refreshing myself and reconnecting with what really matters.
CALLIOPE: How does that affect your writing?
JOE: It gives me a sense of perspective on why I do what I do.
CALLIOPE: Could you be more specific?
JOE: Without a larger perspective it is easy to become lost in details and spin my wheels.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your perspective.
JOE: I think we might have talked about it before. It has to do with my spiritual focus or context for living my life as well as for my writing.
CALLIOPE: I see.
JOE: My focus is on understanding life, my own and that of others, and sharing insights which occur to me.
CALLIOPE: Is that what you mean by wisdom.
JOE: Precisely. Now back to work. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

(Cabin in Oramel)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's up today?
JOE: I'm resting from all I did yesterday and plan a day trip to the Southern Tier of New York after I finish this post.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun. What did you get done yesterday?
JOE: I am working on becoming more familiar with the recording technology including my microphone and the editing software I found. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with it.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE: I found a source of free royalty free music I can use on my CD's at the beginning and end. I was able to download some clips successfully.
CALLIOPE: What about content?
JOE: Ah. The crux of the matter. I started brainstorming about the content and decided on a number of CD's for various age ranges.
CALLIOPE: Where will you start?
JOE; With seniors. They have had the most time to become wise.
CALLIOPE: What will you offer them?
JOE: Stories about wise seniors, definitions of wisdom, quotes through the ages, and some of the writings I already have. I will supplement these with thoughts of other writers.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like more than you can fit on one CD.
JOE: I realize that. I will start with one and then develop others depending on the response to the first. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Ship Communication Tower)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized.
CALLIOPE: On what account.
JOE: I'm proceeding with my latest project.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: A series of recordings on wisdom for various ages.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. Where are you with it now?
JOE: Back to working on technology. I found a good microphone and editing software as well as a company to reproduce and distribute CD’s.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like the mechanics are coming along. How about the substance?
JOE: I have been wondering whether I have enough to say. Then I read Julia Cameron's wisdom in The Right to Write. She sees creativity as a process of listening, recording and transmitting rather than trying to think everything up yourself.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a humble stance.
JOE: It is but I can identify with it. I often wonder where I get ideas. Then I realize that if I pay attention they come to me. My job becomes a simple task of taking dictation from my experience.
CALLIOPE: Interesting way to put it.
JOE: It's a lot less responsibility and more fun to boot. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Moonflowers)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Thinking about yesterday's post and realizing I shared more personal information than usual.
CALLIOPE: Is that why you had to think about it a while before posting?
JOE: It is.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel about having done so?
JOE: I think it's a step in the right direction. Writing in generalities keeps my writing impersonal and harder for readers to feel a personal sense of contact.
CALLIOPE: I think you might be right. What's leading you in this direction?
JOE: I'm still reading Julia Cameron's book, The Right to Write. She has been quite an inspiration to me.
CALLIOPE: How specifically?
JOE: She shares quite a bit about her personal life especially as it affects her writing. I feel a kinship with her I would like to establish with my readers.
CALLIOPE: Ah, she's setting a good example for you.
JOE: Exactly. I hope to learn more from her. Talk with you tomorrow.

 (Riverboat)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still feeling good about my writing decisions.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Writing for money or with an agenda confines my writing. I become responsible for finding what to write.
CALLIOPE: As opposed to what?
JOE: Letting my observations of life and the human condition guide me.
CALLIOPE: Is that a new approach for you?
JOE: No. It's where I started when I began writing. It's more a question of getting back to my roots.
CALLIOPE: Could you elaborate?
JOE: At the beginning I saw myself as a channel for observations rather than being in charge of deciding what to write.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you chose to follow your muse rather than try to force anything.
JOE: Exactly. That's how our conversation started in the first place.
CALLIOPE: I'm happy to lead you where life takes us.
JOE: Glad to have you as a guide again. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Giant Caterpillar)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Quite well thank you.
CALLIOPE: What transpires?
JOE: I'm continuing to take stock of my writing and its place in my life.
CALLIOPE: A big order. How are you going about it?
JOE: I recalled that I had quite a few books on writing and decided to peruse them?
CALLIOPE: Find anything interesting?
JOE: Yes. Julia Cameron's book, The Right to Write.
CALLIOPE: Oh?
JOE: Years ago I read her earlier book The Artist's Way and found it quite helpful in directing my writing, focusing on its joys.
CALLIOPE: Isn't this a book for beginning writers?
JOE: Both books are actually. But I have learned that I am always a beginning writer if I approach it with a child's mind.
CALLIOPE: I've heard that expression. What do you think it means?
JOE: To me it means approaching a task with no preconceptions and being open to the experience on its own terms. Talk with you tomorrow.