Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. Glad to have you back. What's new this morning?
JOE: Not much. I spent yesterday after being reattached to the internet catching up on e-mail and other sundries. I also wrote a little more of the chapter I was working on in Marital Property about the husband's conversation with his best friend.
CALLIOPE: How's that going?
JOE: Pretty good. I spent some time working on personality patterns for each of the two characters and their interaction on a theoretical level. It helped when it came time to write the dialogue.
CALLIOPE: How does it help?
JOE: I think it makes the characters more alive and well defined as opposed to all sounding the same.
CALLIOPE: That's good. You don't want to bore people. What's on the docket for today?
JOE: I plan to finish the chapter I'm working on. I have been thinking about publishing lately. I tend to get frustrated with the process of traditional publishing and wonder if I will ever attract an agent much less a publisher. For now I'll keep trying. If I can, I would rather not go the route of self publishing again, partly due to my finances and partly due to wanting to keep my efforts directed toward my writing rather than having to take on the whole other worlds of marketing and publicity by myself. But it may come to that anyway.
CALLIOPE: I guess you never know. It's sort of like a lottery. Keep at it a while and see what happens.
JOE: I will for now. I guess it is a challenge to my creativity to come up with an irresistable query letter.
CALLIOPE: Have you done your homework on that?
JOE: Yes. I have read plenty and tried to use what I have read. But so far no success. I will keep at it for a while longer. See you later.

(Metal sculpture- Polar Bears- Peter Langen)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. How are you feeling today?
JOE: Better I think whatever I had bugging me is receding.
CALLIOPE: Did you do any writing yesterday?
JOE: Yes. I worked on Marital Property but it was slow going.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: For some reason I was working on a chapter which involved a great deal of geographical and historical detail such as the Vineyard, Cape Cod and New Bedford.
CALLIOPE: It is extra work, but it should make the story more interesting.
JOE: I hope so. I finished a chapter of the husband's reflections which I had not even planned to write. Sometimes characters have a mind of their own.
CALLIOPE: Well, I must admit, I give them ideas sometimes. Did you do anything else yesterday?
JOE: I thought more about self publication and worked on putting the manuscript of The Pastor's Inferno into press ready format. I think I am getting better at using Pagemaker.
CALLIOPE: Have you given up on traditional publication?
JOE: No, but I haven't heard from anyone who could help me and I think I am getting prepared just in case.
CALLIOPE: I guess it's good to be prepared.
JOE: I guess the key to satisfaction in wirting is being flexible. Back to work.

(Beach rose- Nantucket)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.

CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. How are you this morning?

JOE: Quite good. I finally received the e-mail address of the film producer I met a couple years ago.

CALLIOPE: And what are your intentions with her?

JOE: She has produced some films with meaning and not "high concept." I think she might be interested in considering The Pastor's Inferno.

CALLIOPE: Did you approach her?

JOE: Yes. I sent her an e-mail introducing my novel accompanied by a synopsis.

CALLIOPE: What do you think the chances are of her being interested?

JOE: I can't say. But if I don't try I will never know.

CALLIOPE: Well put. Any other developments?

JOE: Yes. I found an agent who handles books with spiritual connotations. I will query him today. I was planning to expand my agent search anyway but I think he might have some promise for me.

CALLIOPE: And your writing?

JOE: I wrote another chapter involving the children considering what they could do to help and how they might approach their parents.

CALLIOPE: Are you happy with your progress?

JOE: I am resigned to it coming in short bursts as far as the novel. I tend to think about each chapter for about a day before I write it. This also worked well with The Pastor's Inferno.

CALLIOPE: I'm glad you found an approach that works. On with the the show.

JOE: Okay, I'm ready for today.

(Church stove heater- Genesee Country Village)