%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
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: Relaxing. I took a break to catch my breath before the next project. CALLIOPE: Which is? JOE: I decided to get my novel, Marital Property, out of mothballs and think again about publishing it. CALLIOPE: Have you looked at it lately? JOE: No. I planned to but then became absorbed in working on my CD. CALLIOPE: Where did you leave off with it? JOE: My first draft seemed dull in the third person. CALLIOPE: I recall that you changed the voice. JOE: I did. I let several of my characters take turns narrating from their points of view. CALLIOPE: Did you think that improved the story? JOE: The story hasn't changed much although I think the various points of view enhance it. CALLIOPE: Let me know what you decide. JOE: I will be sure to. Talk with you tomorrow. |
JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's new? JOE: Nothing much. I'm just considering plans for the winter. CALLIOPE: Anything different about this one? JOE: For one thing, I will be starting my Americorps placement in January. CALLIOPE: The one at the Arts Council? JOE: Yes, GoArt in Batavia. CALLIOPE: Do you know what you will be doing there? JOE: Not yet. We talked about some ideas. I will meet with the director on Wednesday to discuss schedules and goals. CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. JOE: I'm looking forward to it. I have spent most of my time alone lately with my writing. It will be good to be back in circulation. CALLIOPE: How will it affect your writing? JOE: I imagine I will have less time and might need to plan better. I will try to include some creative writing in my duties at GoArt. CALLIOPE: Good luck with it. JOE: Thanks. Talk with you on Monday. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you yesterday. JOE: I missed you too. CALLIOPE: Where were you? JOE: On the road. CALLIOPE: To where? JOE: Marketing my new CD. I visited some stores I thought might be interested in selling it. CALLIOPE: How did that go? JOE: I made some new contacts and renewed old ones. CALLIOPE: Any success. JOE: I found a few stores. What I found interesting was the great variety in arrangements. CALLIOPE: Such as? JOE: One bought CD's wholesale. One took copies on consignment. Two wanted review copies first. There was also quite a variety of percentages requested, some quite reasonable and some beyond what I could afford to do. CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are getting to know the real world. JOE: I am. It's a fascinating place. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you yesterday. JOE: I was wrestling with a virus. CALLIOPE: Yours? JOE: No my computer's. But its better today. CALLIOPE: What else have you been up to? JOE: Working on my column for Saturday. CALLIOPE: Which is? JOE: I started thinking about the words Shakespeare put in Mark Antony's mouth after the Roman Senate assassinated Julius Caesar. CALLIOPE: The evil men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones. JOE: Precisely. Then I thought of two exceptions although there are many more. CALLIOPE: Tell me. JOE: Saint Nicholas was renowned for his secret gifts to the poor in the fourth century. My grandfather left a quieter legacy in 1959. CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. JOE: You will see it on my website Saturday. Talk with you tomorrow. Joe Langen Sliding Otter Publications jlangen@commonsense-wisdom.com www.slidingotter.com Blog: www.commonsense-wisdom.blogspot.com Joe Langen Sliding Otter Publications jlangen@commonsense-wisdom.com www.slidingotter.com Blog: www.commonsense-wisdom.blogspot.com |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you. JOE: I took off a few days to recharge my batteries. CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good idea. What prompted that? JOE: My friend Gerry keeps suggesting it. Sometimes I listen to him. CALLIOPE: How do you get recharged? JOE: First by turning off my computer. Sometimes too much input keeps me from being able to think. CALLIOPE: Good. What else? JOE: Mostly reading. I read two novels over the past few days, James Patterson's Swimsuit and Erich Segal's Acts of Faith. CALLIOPE: How did they help you recharge? JOE: Several ways. Reading helps me think from the perspective of the reader and imagine what it would be like for someone to read what I write. CALLIOPE: Anything else? JOE: Yes. I also absorb ways to describe events and bring characters to life. I don't try to copy other writers but I think their styles meld with my own and makes my writing richer. CALLIOPE: Very wise. JOE: Thank you. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Fine. I was just thinking about Thanksgiving and my gratitude as a writer. CALLIOPE: Please elaborate. JOE: I recall a rather heated discussion not too long ago in an online discussion group for published writers. CALLIOPE: Yes? JOE: An argument ensued about who should be considered an author as opposed to a writer. Some who had been published by traditional publishers held themselves above others who self publi9shed or didn't publish at all. CALLIOPE: Sounds like the worst of the writing community. JOE: I thought so. An exercise in hubris. I'm just glad to be writing no matter what others think of me. CALLIOPE: Tell me more. JOE: I started writing at a time when my psychology career was unraveling due to the growing influence and control of the health insurance industry. Writing gave me a sense of myself and my ability to express what I thought and felt without arguing or haggling with anyone. CALLIOPE: Has it stayed that way for you? JOE: Like any endeavor, it has its ups and downs. Publishing has had its frustrations and challenges. The writing itself has given me some of the best experiences of my life and introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise. CALLIOPE: I take it your writing career has made you grateful. JOE: Correct. I will give thanks for it tomorrow and every day after that. Happy Thanksgiving. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's on your mind this morning? JOE: My mind woke up before I did turning over thoughts about marketing once again. CALLIOPE: Marketing for your new CD? JOE: Precisely. It's that time again. CALLIOPE: How will you approach it? JOE: I will start by reminding myself to focus on what my potential readers and listeners want. CALLIOPE: And that is? JOE: People in the market for whom I write include those who are thoughtful about their lives, want to make a contribution to the world community and want to use their talents for world betterment. CALLIOPE: A tall order. JOE: I know. I don't plan to meet all their needs or answer all their questions but would like to help them along their spiritual journey at least a little. CALLIOPE: So how will you tell them of your intentions in your marketing efforts? JOE: I will frame my approach to them in the form of questions they might ask and useful contributions I might make to their quest. CALLIOPE: Sounds like a reasonable approach. JOE: We shall see. Talk with you tomorrow. |
JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you Saturday. JOE: Sorry. I was on the run all weekend. I spent the time I did have getting my CD up and running. CALLIOPE: So it's ready for your public. JOE: It is. Here is the release information: Knowledge is a collection of facts and procedures. Wisdom is knowing how to use what we know and acting in a well informed way for the benefit of us all. Wisdom and spirituality have been themes of my writing for a number of years. My CD, Spiritual Wisdom, brings together quotes and reflections on wisdom in a spiritual context as well as “life lab lessons” to practice acting wisely. My CD was released yesterday and is available for $10.00 through Kunaki,(http://kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX00EELNZN&PP=1) . Themes based on my writing and talks include Spirituality- Awakening to the Goodness and Joy for Which You were Created, Respecting Our Wisdom, As God Is My Weapon, Contracting with God, The Magic of Everyday Life, The Message of Illness, Hope and Its Alternatives, Finding Our Gifts, Stress and its Discontents, The Angels Among Us, The Care and Feeding of Angels, Walking in the Shoes of Another and Agreements for Life. CALLIOPE: Looks good. JOE: Thanks. Now I can get to work on marketing. CALLIOPE: Sounds like less fun. JOE: It is but it keeps me on my toes. CALLIOPE: Good Luck. JOE: Thanks. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Less confused about frustration than I was yesterday. CALLIOPE: You said you would ponder this issue. What did you discover in your mind? JOE: I discovered that keeping concerns locked in my mind makes them bang into the walls of my awareness and damage delicate ideas taking shape. CALLIOPE: What led to this discovery? JOE: Sharing my concerns with you and our readers yesterday helped me put them behind me and get on with life. CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. Sounds like a simple solution. JOE: Simple does not always mean easy. I sometimes become so wrapped up in the complexities of issues that I don't realize I am making things more complicated and could just let the concerns float until they reveal their secrets and simple solutions. CALLIOPE: Sound profound. Are you talking about things like meditation? JOE: I am. Letting something reveal itself often works better than trying to tear it apart. CALLIOPE: How does that apply to the concerns you talked about yesterday? JOE: Doing something counterproductive such as dosing boredom with junk food just creates new problems. CALLIOPE: So you found talking with me about it more productive? JOE: I did. Thanks for being there to listen. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's turning in your brain this morning? JOE: Electrons mostly. Although I must admit my mind is filled with random thoughts today. CALLIOPE: Care to share one? JOE: Sure. The relationship between writing and health keeps popping up. CALLIOPE: Please elaborate. JOE: I tend to get bored easily. When I do, I tend to eat more than I should and gravitate toward comforting but unhealthy food such as sugar. CALLIOPE: I see. Do you have a plan to deal with this? JOE: Not getting bored would probably short circuit the process. The problem is that eating is less effort that being creative. CALLIOPE: No argument there but it also undermines your good intentions and does not accomplish anything positive. JOE: Exactly. Sometimes writing excites me and satisfies me. When I meet roadblocks, I tire of dragging them off my road and sit down for a snack. CALLIOPE: A definite problem. JOE: No doubt. One answer would be not to become frustrated. CALLIOPE: How do you do that? JOE: Good question. Let me think on it. Talk with you tomorrow. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
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.