Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Nina Replica)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Thank you but it's fading fast.
JOE: It is. I have been a bit of a lazy bone this morning. I got watching the movie Kramer vs. Kramer. Yesterday I watched Marty.
CALLIOPE: Into old movies?
JOE: To some extent. But I have been wondering what makes movies and books successful and was doing a little research on the side.
CALLIOPE: Why this sudden interest?
JOE: James Bell's book, Revision and Self Editing prompted me to pay more attention to successful works and approach them from a critical stance.
CALLIOPE: That seems like a good idea. Are you taking notes?
JOE: I did yesterday with Marty and realized movies are not what they used to be.
CALLIOPE: How do you see them as being different now?
JOE: There seems more emphasis on being slick, fast moving and plot driven rather than character driven.
CALLIOPE: Good observations. How does that affect your approach to writing?
JOE: I'm still evaluating it. I realize what people are used to in movies as well as books. Still I am not sure there is much substance left in most newer works.
CALLIOPE: So what do you plan to do?
JOE: Incorporate some of the more glitzy approaches while making sure my work still has substance. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I feel rested and energetic.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to use this energy?
JOE: I have several activities planned involving other people. Still, I have some time for myself. My first priority is to record Are You Afraid of this Book.
CALLIOPE: Please refresh my memory.
JOE: Okay. I think some readers are fearful of The Pastor's Inferno due to its theme and content. Rather than hoping their fears will abate, I thought it might be useful to address them directly.
CALLIOPE: Weren't you working on that over the weekend?
JOE: I was. I completed the outline Sunday but didn't have time to record it yesterday. It seems the summer is busier than I thought it would be.
CALLIOPE: So you plan to do it today?
JOE: Yes. I also learned something interesting yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Larry Shearer wrote a review of Young Man of the Cloth for Amazon. He liked the book but commented that one particular conversation did not sound true to life.
CALLIOPE: So what did you learn?
JOE: That part of the editing process in fiction could be to read passages from the point of view of the narrator or other characters being described. I will be that character for a moment and consider whether the passage describes me accurately. I'll try it today and let you know how it works. See you tomorrow.
(Bailey on the Allegany)