Conversations with Calliope

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Ready for another day. I have written in my journal and checked my email. Now I'm ready to go.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about yesterday.
JOE: I worked on Marital Property again. All of my major characters have made an appearance in the first person. I am still debating whether to use present or past tense in my narrative.
CALLIOPE: Why is that an issue?
JOE: I feared that present tense might get tiresome, especially in a novel length story. I decided to experiment with it and so far I like the results. I think I will continue with it at least for now.
CALLIOPE: What if you tire of it?
JOE: Then I will switch to past tense or a combination of past and present tense.
CALLIOPE: Do you have any models to consult.
JOE: I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible as I mentioned. She uses strictly first person and present tense for the most part although I noticed some sections with past tense.
CALLIOPE: Which tense do you like better with her book?
JOE: I think I like present tense better, but that doesn't mean it will work for me.
CALLIOPE: True. It's fun to experiment though isn't it?
JOE: It is. I am happy to have this opportunity to try various approaches and be free to choose whichever I like best. Talk with you tomorrow.