#theoceanlistens...

[fleetingcalypso]

Hello, Calypso.

I can't help but wonder, who is your favorite character in The Secret History? You've written a lot about Henry, but what about the others?

≋It is undeniable Henry is the one I’ve depicted the most in my works. I may be a fool like Richard, or someone finding safety in him like Camilla, but the truth is right in our eyes: he would surely win a contest of popularity, if given the chance. 

≋I could spend days and nights discussing the greek class students and what makes them so interesting, but that is not the question, is it? No, you’ve asked about my favourite.

≋My favourite is Richard Papen. He is the narrator of the novel, and yet he brings me to question everything he says. How much of what he said was true and how much was a complete and utter lie? How many of his words were greatly exaggerated just for the sake of narration? What of his memories did not actually happen at all, and instead was just a fruit of what he wished had occurred? 

≋He is a fool, through and through. An outsider, the extra chair one needs to add to the dinner table when an unexpected guest shows up at their home, he’s what hides in the shadow behind a building illuminated by a lamppost. He’s something uncomfortable, at times unnecessary. He’s hardly the protagonist of his own story, no matter how much he dreams of that being the truth. And I am fascinated by him.

K.

[fleetingcalypso]

Dearest Calypso, are you planning to post more TFOTA fics?

≋Greetings, dear hero.

≋Yes, fear not, I have many visions of fae and humans to paint with my words still. Cardan and Jude may very soon reappear in my works before you can even begin to feel their absence. I thank you all for your patience and I urge you to keep an eye on the waves, as they may bring you my new writings when you least expect them.

≋Here a small excerpt of what’s to come: 

“He put his hands on you?”

Everything sounds muffled here in the High King’s chambers, from his hardened voice to my unstable heartbeat, nothing feels clear anymore. I never thought it would come to this. I thought I’d take this to my grave, no one keeps a secret like I do after all. Then why is he so good at taking what he wants? How can he have me open up my heart with just a single look? Fortunately for me, I have my back to him, and he misses the way my eyes fall shut for just a second. 

“Jude. Did my brother put his hands on you?” His voice is closer than it was just a second ago, lower, too. I curse faes and their stupid feather light steps in my mind. Rough hands rub my arms, a delicate kiss is placed on my naked shoulder blade leaving my skin with a burning sensation the moment his lips are lifted from it. It doesn’t feel right.

K.

[fleetingcalypso]

Hi fav book? 📖

≋How could I ever choose one, my darling hero, when books are the lymph of life. Here’s some that I have fallen in love with:

1- The Secret History by Donna Tartt, obviously. Everything that can be said about this book has not yet been said, and I dare not be the one to try and explain its many intricacies in one simple answer. I adored this book. I recommend everyone read it, at least once. 2- A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson. I’ve devoured this book in one sitting. It’s a haunting tale that has spoken to me in more ways than one. Love, pain, fear, gut-wrenching dread all in one. I loved him, I hated him and I wanted him dead just as Costanta did. 3- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This is the book that did it for me. The first book that truly captured me, wrapped chains around my heart from the moment it fell in my hands. Magnificent writing, interesting characters and magic that flows right out the pages painting marvelous visions.

K.

[fleetingcalypso]

Dearest Calypso,

For so long I have wandered among the halls of the home/heart you have shared with me and all of our friends. Often I have had the pleasure of pursuing my arts with you by my side while listening to beautiful tunes, inspired by Apollo and the muses themeselves.

Would you consider sharing with me and others some titles?

Sincerely, one of your closest nynphs, M

≋Hello, my dear friend, how great to see you once more.

≋I’d be glad to share with you some melodies the currents have brought to me. It’s quite the nice exchange, the one I have with the wind and the waves. I confess to them my thoughts and fears, and on those nights where I can only hear my heartbeat, faint melodies from far away lands reach my ears to lull me to sleep. Here’s a dozen of them, divided in two halves. I’ll leave it to you to try and find why these songs have captured my interest.

≋Part one: 

1- That Unwanted Animal - The Amazing Devil 2- The Fruits - Paris Paloma 3- Aphrodite - Honey Gentry 4- Everything Matters - AURORA 5- Mausoleum - Rafferty 6-For The Departed - Shayfer James

≋Part two:

1- Ode to Aphrodite - Michael Levy 2- The Second Waltz - Dmitri Shostakovich 3- Second Delphic Hymn to Apollo - Pretos Tabouris, Kostis Georgalis,  4- Gnossienne no.1 - Eric Satie 5- Dido and Aeneas 2.626: When I am laid in the Earth, “Dido’s Lament” (arr. L. Stokowski) 6- Nocturne op.9 n.2 - Frédéric Chopin

K.

[fleetingcalypso]

How long have you been writing? I respect your skills immensely, and it's really inspiring me to try writing prose. I will cherish any tips or anecdotes you can give about your writing journey. I pray that you will continue blessing us with your beautiful imagination and words.

≋ Before I begin, I’d like to thank you for your kind words. It is truly an honor to be respected for my writing, it has been a longtime dream of mine to make someone feel a wide array of emotions with my creations. 

≋ To answer your question, I’ve dabbled in writing ever since I can remember, ever since I’ve had stories in my head that felt the need to be narrated, but only recently I’ve decided to share my thoughts. Of course, my very first works shall never know the warmth of the Sun. Despite looking back at them with fondness, one cannot deny just how much I would focus on whether it would please others rather than myself and my own taste. Not to mention, the questionable grammar and lack of proper storylines. I shiver at the thought. I have to admit, writing took a side role in the list of my hobbies for a long time, as the art I’ve held close to my heart for a long time was drawing.

≋ Only in the recent year or so (I cannot be sure, time seems to fly by here in Ogygia) has writing become something I put all my effort in. Just some time before opening up my doors to you all.

≋ When it comes to tips and tricks I have only a few, as I’m in no way a professional: 1. The main tactic I try– and usually fail– to remember is “Show, don’t tell”. It truly is as important as any other writer will say. As a reader, I want to feel the soft air of a summer’s day on my skin, I want to hear the birds chirping and smell the pine trees, not simply being told that it's a sunny day.

≋ Also, 2. I never used to outline my stories which was an unforgivable mistake on my part, the words just flowed from my mind directly out into the world with no coherence nor a thread to stitch them together. In many of my earlier works that is quite possible to notice, I fear. Only in recent times I’ve discovered just how terribly easy it is to write thanks to a general outline of what I wish to convey. I incite anyone to have at least one rough outline sitting by you before tackling an empty page. 

≋ As a special someone from a long time favourite novel once said, “I am nothing in my soul if not obsessive.” My obsession is art in all of its forms. I consume a disgusting amount of art each day – It used to be all I had, before all of you heroes found my isle and gifted me your company. Whether it be writing, painting, sculptures, music, dance etc… It is a never ending well of inspiration. One glimpse at a painting, a fleeting glance, could be where a new story begins to form in one’s mind. 3. The trick is to live life in the most romantic way there is. 

≋ There’s a small notebook sitting by my side at any moment. It’s just a simple notebook, candid pages sewed together with thread, but inside is where the magic happens. Each time a new something sparks a light in my mind I write it down. Each time I find a poem that speaks to me I write it down. Each time I find a specific something I’d want to include in a future work, you guessed it, I write it down. With time, the stories write themselves, and I’m just one soul giving them free reign to say whatever they wish to say. 

≋ To summarize: 1- Show don’t tell. 2- Always prepare a rough outline. 3- Romanticize life.

≋ At the end of the day, though, I wish to emphasize something. These tips I consider as the base of my writing, but it may not be the same for you, after all I'm no writer, just a lonely nymph. Try a bit of everything, don’t be afraid of experimenting. Find what works for you, what you truly feel as your own, and use it. Feel free to pick and choose whatever you wish from my words, as they’re just words after all. What is important is that you create, in any way.

K.

[fleetingcalypso]

Hello calypsoo! What do you think about Odysseus?? And do you have any good relationships with some gods??

≋Ah, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, skilled archer and someone that has held my heart for a time. How I love him, still.

≋I remember it, as vivid as day, the day I first laid my eyes on him and fell for him. The way his irises reflected the sunlight, the way his strong hands flexed and his hair moved thanks to the wind.I would have had him live forever, had he stayed by my side.

≋We were happy for a time, or so I believe. Alas, his home was never with me, I know that now.

≋As for the Gods, in all honesty, I have been angry at them. I have deemed them cruel and unjust in the way they took away my love from my arms when so many of them had done the very same in their lives. It is hardly a mighty evil to share in the passion with a loved human, who holds me in the way I hold him. 

≋Those feelings sometimes dissipate, sometimes they come back to the surface. Not many of the divine beings up in Olympus are visitors to Ogygia. Only one, Hermes, god of the golden wand, mighty messenger of the gods, has been the one to sit at my table and drink my wine more than once. He never stays long and I have learned to not believe the sweet nothings that fly from his lips.

K.