novel

(Writing Space)

Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.~ E. L. Doctorow

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I trust you survived your first days at GO ART.
JOE: I did and enjoyed working with other people after all my time writing alone.
CALLIOPE: What about today?
JOE: Today I'm back to my writing.
CALLIOPE: What's on your agenda?
JOE: First our conversation which is progressing nicely.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: I have my novel, Marital Property, to finish and a newsletter to write by next Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Where will you start?
JOE: Since I have only a vague idea what to write about next week, I will let the newsletter idea percolate for a while and work on the novel.
CALLIOPE: What is your idea for the newsletter?
JOE: My girlfriend Carol suggested that I write about waste in our society, a particular annoyance of hers.
CALLIOPE: I see. How about the novel?
JOE: I'm wading through the final edit and have one reader reader ready to go. I will need to find a couple others too. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Butterfly Museum, Niagara Falls, Ontario)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How is the review of your manuscript coming.
JOE: I am happy to report that Marital Property has aged well over the past few months.
CALLIOPE: I take it you have found time to continue working on it.
JOE: I have.
CALLIOPE: What have you discovered?
JOE: Mostly typos and weaknesses in phrasing at points.
CALLIOPE: Other than fixing those, anything else?
JOE: I found a few places what I assumed the writer knew what I did.
CALLIOPE: Bad assumption.
JOE: I realize that and fixed it when I came across passages where there was no foundation for a character acting or talking a certain way.
CALLIOPE: That's good.
JOE: I also found a couple actions which I foreshadowed but did not include in the story. If I didn't fix that some readers might finish the book wondering what happened.
CALLIOPE: Also a good catch. Best of luck with the rest of the manuscript.
JOE: Thanks. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Cruise Ship off Oak Bluffs)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How goes it today?
JOE: Well. I'm hard at work.
CALLIOPE: Continuing to review your novel?
JOE: Correct. I have pored over eighty-eight pages of Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: What have you discovered?
JOE: I am happy with the plot, character development and the rotating point of view.
CALLIOPE: Did you encounter any difficulties?
JOE: Nothing of much importance. I did find minor typos and ways to improve wording and phrasing.
CALLIOPE: So you are happy with what you see?
JOE: In general, yes. I think my characters and I were getting a little too familiar with each other. The break has been good for all of us and we are ready to get back to work.
CALLIOPE: Do you have a deadline for finishing work on the manuscript?
JOE: No. I have learned from past projects that pushing myself leads to mistakes although I satisfy my impulsive nature. I'm working on patience.
CALLIOPE: Good for you.
JOE: Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Menemsha at Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you up to today.
JOE: Continuing my visit with Cynthia and Denis.
CALLIOPE: Those names sound a little familiar.
JOE: They are two of the main characters in my book, Marital Property.
CALLIOPE: I see. How are the three of you getting along?
JOE: Pretty well considering their dire circumstances with their marriage crumbling around them and their children at wit's end wondering what will become of them.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a mess.
JOE: It is. Fortunately they are just characters I invented.
CALLIOPE: From what raw materials.
JOE: Partly from couples I have met over the years and partly based on how I would feel in their predicament.
CALLIOPE: How does the manuscript look after a rest in the wine cellar.
JOE: Not bad. I'm going through it sprucing up the grammar here and there but the plot and description don't sound too bad to me.
CALLIOPE: Keep at it.
JOE: I plan to. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(New Bedford Fishing Boats)

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.