What do you say when a dear friend and talented writer shows you his or her latest manuscript, and you aren't thrilled?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
http://gracefulwellbeing.blogspot.com
-
-
Coming Home Again: Moving Back to Michigan During the Pandemic (and Landing an Agent) - Author Lindsay MacMillan shares how moving back home to Michigan initially felt like a retreat but led to a new world of possibility. The post Coming Hom...1 hour ago
-
-
Available and Relevant - … a process of self-inscription … in order to create a space for oneself … This is from ‘Postmodern Theory with Historical Intent’ by Ethan Kleinberg, foun...11 hours ago
-
-
Anima: One Woman’s Search for Meaning in the Footsteps of Bulgarian Mountain Shepherds - "All our lives we perform tasks while waiting for something to click into place. For somewhere to put our love."3 days ago
-
New from Bottom Dog Press - Ad for *America Poetry Review* *Frank Lehner at Mr. Smith's Coffeehouse July 14th 2:00* *140 Columbus Ave. **Sandusky, Ohio* *Open Mic to follow. Join Us...5 days ago
-
Ballad of Fai - Love Could Cause a Genocide My take on immigration. A firefly was drawn to the light from a family’s campfire. He thought the lights were thousands of othe...1 week ago
-
-
Stay away from the pool - My mother & I were visiting a friend of hers who was living in an apartment complex that I regarded at the time as positively palatial, what for the commun...1 year ago
-
In Memory of Ed Ochester, Poet & Editor, RIP - We have asked Ed Ochester (above) to edit our Sunday poetry pages for the next few months. Here is one of Ed's poems: March of the Penguins The editor of N...1 year ago
-
“In spite of all the learned have said ...” - Philip Freneau Philip Freneau (1752-1852) was a journalist and poet in the early years our country was forming. And, oh, by the way, I once wrote an under...3 years ago
-
Lit Youngstown Hosts Heather Dobbins & Barbara Sabol - I closing in on scheduling Lit Youngstown's 2021 First Wednesday Readers Series, and we're soon hosting the last reading of 2020. It's one of the many...4 years ago
-
-
Balance is important in design - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis Theme natoque penatibus et magnis dis ...5 years ago
-
Proof of Life - Um, hello? Is this thing on? I am writing from the Central Time Zone, as we have officially moved to Oxford, Mississippi for the academic year! And I have ...5 years ago
-
Another Visit to DeLasalle Middle School at the end of March - About sixty sixth graders read The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez at DeLasalle. I went to visit, and their questions were excellent. They all wish there...6 years ago
-
Lana K. W. Austin - Lana K. W. Austin’s poems, short stories, and reviews have recently been featured in *Mid-AmericanReview, Sou’wester, Columbia Journal, Zone 3, Appalachia...6 years ago
-
Window (The Disappeared Grandchild) | blackout: venezuela in collapse | Joseph Ceravolo: Migratory Noon - . [image: El Salvador, 1974 | by Marcelo Montecino] *El Salvador, 1974*: photo by Marcelo Montecino, 3 September 2010 [image: Morgue, San Salvador, 82 | ...6 years ago
-
The translucent veil of life - Haha, so the truth comes out. Having 2 children is A LOT more work than 1! I haven't been able to get out of the rocking chair more than a few moment...7 years ago
-
Voices in Italian Americana reviews Paola Corso’s “The Laundress Catches Her Breath” - Paola Corso’s poems about women’s work and lives bring to life an intimate and fragile world without a hint of sentimentality. Take “Step by Step with the ...8 years ago
-
-
-
On the move - *Gal about town, photo by Bob Perkoski* Dear readership, Your humble hostess has been doing a whole lot of what is depicted in today's photo: walking aro...9 years ago
-
Strawberry Month - The strawberry sweets at Lagusta's Luscious this month are insane! I missed out last year and decided that this year I would take full advantage. I luck...10 years ago
-
TC: Why Hillary Became a Goddess on the Night of Her Acceptance Speech - . *Hillary Clinton greets a supporter following her address at the 18th Annual David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum at Columbia University ...10 years ago
-
AWP in Minneapolis, and recommended reading - Again I've been away from this blog longer than I'd intended. Much busy with writing, and reading, and life in general. I'll be attending the annual AWP co...10 years ago
-
Remixing the World's Problems Results - The one thing about judging poetry is that it often takes me much longer than I expect. For everyone who has waited so patiently for me to get these result...10 years ago
-
In a Landscape - The Playlist - John Cage, “In a Landscape” Bob Dylan, “My Back Pages” Neil Young, “Ambulance Blues” The Twilight Zone Theme Babylon 5 Theme Simon & Garfunkel, “Richard Co...10 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4 comments:
Letting someone down easy is never easy. Confusing the issue sometimes helps, though.
Since interrogative adaptive paraphrase is perhaps the most uplifting (though at times perhaps also the insincerest) form of flattery, how about gently skirting the issue by saying:
Juan Ramon, tell me, if you know,
Why, when the singing ended and we turned
Toward the town, tell why the glassy lights,
The lights in the fishing boats at anchor there,
As night descended, tilting in the air,
Mastered the night and portioned out the sea,
Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles,
Arranging, deepening, enchanting night,
On every page of your manuscript.
Oh! Blessed rage for order, pale Ramon,
The maker's rage to order words of the sea,
Words of the fragrant portals, dimly-starred,
And of ourselves and of our origins,
In ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds
Like these! Your words! Your sounds, Juan Ramon!
I think you try to be straightforward, positive and constructive unless: (a) the project in question has already been placed/sold, in which case you simply act terribly pleased (which I'm sure you would be, in addition to feeling relieved; the pressure's off); (b) you know the person would not welcome or could not tolerate straightforward, positive and constructive remarks. At media companies where I've worked, I faced comparable professional situations all the time and find that they're usually, but not always, negotiable. Life's so complicated. Curtis
Very funny, Tom -- yes, I do find myself carrying on. And yes, Curtis, I agree it is best to be straight forward in certain cases . . . Always complicated. Sigh.
What I do sometimes in these situations is I try to present it as my own shortcoming in reading the manuscript -- "I'm not sure if I get where you're going with the poems" or "I had a hard time finding my way into the poems." Something like that.
Then I might invite my friend to say anything they want to about the manuscript.
Post a Comment