writing

(Schooner- St. John)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A little befuddled.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: In my attempts to understand the marketing world, I seem to understand less the more I read.
CALLIOPE: Any specific concerns?
JOE: I've been pursuing social marketing as I understand it. I see some people using internet contacts merely as a way to peddle their wares and solicit customers.
CALLIOPE: What's your approach?
JOE: I would like to interest others in what I do but also want to share with them what I have learned about life and work together for the common good.
CALLIOPE: Sounds noble. How do you go about it?
JOE: I try to make sure my posts are of benefit to those I address rather than just asking them for something.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your befuddlement.
JOE: I am starting to make a fair number of contacts. The problem is that I'm not sure I can keep up with them all. Many of them are just names at this point.
CALLIOPE: So what's your plan?
JOE: That's just it. I don't have one. In theory I would like to be selective about which groups I belong to so I can be an active part of the ones I choose. I wonder how others approach this concern and would like to hear from them. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Oatka Geese)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. You mentioned Joan Chittister's book yesterday. Any further thoughts about what she has to say?
JOE: I haven't finished reading The Gift of Years yet but so far I have read about her thoughts on the challenges and fears of growing old and look forward to reading her thoughts about the opportunities.
CALLIOPE: What do you think got you interested in this topic?
JOE: I just celebrated ( I was going to say "had") my sixty-sixth birthday. It seems like it crept up on me. Joan would say that people perceive us as old even if we don't feel old.
CALLIOPE: Do you feel old?
JOE: Not really. I have some difficulty with arthritis which I never had when I was younger.
CALLIOPE: So you're doing okay physically?
JOE: I can't complain.
CALLIOPE: What about psychologically?
JOE: I feel released from family and work responsibilities and able to set my own direction without anyone else getting upset about it. That's a freeing feeling.
CALLIOPE: What are you going to do with it?
JOE: I was thinking this morning that none of us knows how much life remains. There's no point fretting about it. Many people don't live as long as I have already.
CALLIOPE: So what challenge remains for you?
JOE: Right now, to use my writing to continue unfolding life's mysteries for myself and helping readers make the best of their lives for their benefit and that of others they encounter. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Me as a monk)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Fairly calm. I enjoyed some cross country skiing and watching football.
CALLIOPE: Anything of a literary nature going on?
JOE: I've been thinking about stories, my theme song last week.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I told you I wanted to work on revising an article I wrote for possible inclusion in a new magazine, Two Words.
CALLIOPE: How did that work out?
JOE: I was very happy with the result. Interestingly, the editor was interested in a more personal approach.
CALLIOPE: Was that hard?
JOE: Not once I got to it. I think I tend to be somewhat impersonal an academic in my writing.
CALLIOPE: So how did it end up.
JOE: I told a story about when I left the monastery in 1965 and how I came to value friendships.
CALLIOPE: I'd like to see it.
JOE: I'd like to show it to you but since it's being considered for publication, I guess I can't right now. I'll let you know when it's ready for distribution. Talk with you tomorrow.

(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.

(Diverse Audience)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I wasn't sure I would hear from you today.
JOE: It turns out I was busy for a while.
CALLIOPE: So early? What were you up to?
JOE: I was engaged in a Podcast about my writing.
CALLIOPE: With whom?
JOE: John Murray for his now podcast series Rambling Verser, associated with Story Institute.
CALLIOPE: I see. How did it go?
JOE: Quite well. He sent me a series of questions he wished to explore and I was ready when he called.
CALLIOPE: Do you like having the questions ahead of time?
JOE: It made the interview much easier. I could concentrate on expressing myself rather than being nervous about what to say or what was coming next.
CALLIOPE: Did you get to say what you wanted to?
JOE: I did. I have had a little experience with podcasts in the past as well as a recorder interview about my writing. I think I am becoming much more comfortable with the process.
CALLIOPE: What did you learn from the experience today?
JOE: One of his questions was what made my readers unique? I hadn't thought much about this until he posed the question. I realized that my readers were thoughtful about their own lives and concerned about their effect on others. They also approach life from a spiritual perspective, which I define as "awakening to the goodness and joy for which you were created." Talk with you tomorrow.

(Wall sculpture- Santilanna Spain) (Wall sculpture- Santillana, Spain)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are things in the frozen north?
JOE: I'm making the best of it. I went cross country skiing yesterday. Fortunately, my brain isn't frozen.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. What's rattling around there?
JOE: I keep thinking about what Seth Godin had to say about liars as marketing.
CALLIOPE: What are your current thoughts?
JOE: I think they are evolving. As I understood what him, he describes consumers as lying to themselves. Marketers do well when they resonate with consumers' lies.
CALLIOPE: How does that sit with you?
JOE: The word "lies" got my attention. But he also talks about being authentic in marketing. I am a little stuck with what looks to me like an oxymoron, authentic lying.
CALLIOPE: I see what you mean. Where are you going with it?
JOE: Toward the end of his book he admits he didn't quite mean lying. As I see it, people do have world views which they don't always put into words. I believe that people's world views are quite instrumental in shaping their response to marketing efforts and anything else which comes their way.
CALLIOPE: So where does that leave you?
JOE: I have come to realize that in order to be an effective in marketing my writing I need to understand the world views of my readers and how they relate to my writing.
CALLIOPE: Any specific thoughts on how to do this?
JOE: I'm still working on it. I'll tell you more tomorrow.

Sailing Sculpture- Charlotte Beach- Rochester, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Up a little late this morning, aren't we?
JOE: At least I'm here.
CALLIOPE: What's going on in your head these days?
JOE: I've been thinking about the field of marketing, talking with people about it and reading.
CALLIOPE: What have you been reading?
JOE: Interesting you should ask. I was wandering around Borders with my brother a couple days ago and ran across Seth Godin's book, All Marketers Are Liars.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting.
JOE: It is. He poo-poos the idea that people respond to marketing efforts on the basis of features, benefits, or anything else tangible.
CALLIOPE: Then what does attract potential customers?
JOE: He believes that people respond to whatever matches the fantasies they already have.
CALLIOPE: Interesting idea.
JOE: Yes it is. I haven't finished the book yet but find the idea fascinating. I plan to read more of it this weekend.
CALLIOPE: Then what.
JOE: If it continues to make sense, I will rethink my fantasies about marketing and see what I might need to change. Talk with you on Monday.

(Butterfly in the trees)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Tell me about yesterday.
JOE: As I expected, I had little time to work on anything. I had to shovel my way out to go visit my brother in Rochester who is here on his visit from Hawaii.
CALLIOPE: What did he make of the snow?
JOE: It's the first he's seen in two years. He seems fascinated.
CALLIOPE: What else did you do?
JOE: We spent most of the day visiting at my mother's house and my aunt's and ended up in a bookstore at night.
CALLIOPE: Did you bring up your book in conversation?
JOE: It came up a couple times and I shared my experiences and the book itself with a few people.
CALLIOPE: How did you feel about doing it?
JOE: A little strange. I waited for quite a while for it to come up in conversation which it finally did.
CALLIOPE: What's your discomfort about?
JOE: I feel like I am in a sales rather than social conversation. It feels a little awkward. Still I hate to miss an opportunity to tell people about my writing since it is the main focus of my life right now.
CALLIOPE: Anything you can do about it?
JOE: I don't think so. I wear several hats as most people do. I guess it's just part of life. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Nineteenth century tavern- Genesee Country Village)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Good. I have my Christmas shopping and report writing done and am ready to get back to work on my writing.
CALLIOPE: Did you get anything literary done yesterday?
JOE: I finished posting the reading guides I developed and shared with you a couple days ago.
CALLIOPE: Did you do one for Navigating Life?
JOE: Not yet. I need to wait until my book is listed on Amazon so I can include it.
CALLIOPE: I see. What plans do you have for today?
JOE: I think I will start posting this blog on the sites where I previously did.
CALLIOPE: Don't you still have links there to this site?
JOE: I do but decided it was too much to expect readers to travel here. I thought it might be best to just post them where I did before.
CALLIOPE: Why did you change your mind?
JOE: It had to do with Google. I thought that by listing my blog in several places it reduced the Search Engine Optimization qualities of the blog.
CALLIOPE: Doesn't it?
JOE: I think so but decided it made more sense to have greater visibility than to count on it optimizing visits to my web site. Talk to you tomorrow.

 (New York City)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Reeling from yesterday's market research.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I worked hard to find an affordable auto responder for readers to sign up for my columns online without advertising attached.
CALLIOPE: Did you find one?
JOE: Yes and I downloaded it. Then I found all sorts of complicated direction about things I have never heard of. I don't know if is even possible for me to use it. I wasn't ready for such a challenge.
CALLIOPE: Maybe it's the price of going cheap. Anything else going on?
JOE: I am busy reading Richard Bayer's The Good Person Guidebook which I agreed to review.
CALLIOPE: Sounds a little more manageable.
JOE: It is. At least I am on familiar ground. I am enjoying the book and have learned some lessons I can use in organizing Commonsense Wisdom for Teens, my next project after I finish Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: Have you thought any more about offering your book free?
JOE: I have and found that Booklocker has a program of offering most of a book free but not all. Since I have used them before, I will consider this program.
CALLIOPE: Probably easier than doing it on your own.
JOE: I agree. Talk with you tomorrow.

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(Gulls on City Island, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Are you finished with your marketing challenge?
JOE: Not quite. My web site is back functioning well. There are a few refinements I would like to make such as adding my podcast and some keywords.
CALLIOPE: Is that your plan for today?
JOE: If I have time. This morning I am taking Carol for some outpatient surgery and then we will shop and have lunch. I'm not sure how much time that will leave me.
CALLIOPE: What's up for the next few days?
JOE: Carol and I are leaving for New York tomorrow morning and will be back Tuesday.
CALLIOPE: Anything special going on there?
JOE: We're just going to visit Carol's son who is just back from Germany after a stint in The Barber of Seville. We just thought it was time for a visit.
CALLIOPE: Anything planned?
JOE: No. We will play it by ear. But I will stay aware of opportunities to discuss writing and marketing.
CALLIOPE: Enjoy your trip.
JOE: We will. Talk with you on Wednesday.