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Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life
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Dear Reader,
If you have a question about writing or publishing, email it to me and I'll be glad to give you my two cents worth--well, maybe in today's economy it's my $2.50 cents worth. I won't be able to answer every reader personally, but I'll include your questions and my replies in upcoming columns. You can reach me at: Suzanne@EmailBookclub.com I'd love to hear from you. You'll find previous questions and answers at: http://tinyurl.com/WritingQ-A
Today's question:
"Hi Suzanne, I've been reading the writing emails you've responded to recently and I was wondering, 'How would you go about telling someone they are NOT a writer?' Of course this would be after reading something they had written. I have a good friend who has written a book and is looking for an agent. She's also started another book. I try to encourage her to follow through and to get her book published. I've read her book and it's very much like a Harlequin Romance novel. Do you have any advice I could share with her? So good to read with you!"--Debbie
(Suzanne's reply)
Debbie,
I'm not certain from your email whether you enjoyed reading your friend's book or not. Are you wondering, in general, how to tell someone you don't think they're a writer? Or are you searching for a way to tell your friend you didn't like her book and that she shouldn't quit her day job, because she's not a writer? The good news is in either case, it's not your responsibility to tell anyone they're not a writer. Most writers, especially writers in the beginning of their careers, are thin-skinned and create enough self-doubt on their own. They don't need a friend to critique their work, they need a friend to encourage them to follow their dreams, and that's exactly what you've been doing.
Having said that, I realize when a friend asks, "What did you think of my book?" if you didn't enjoy reading it, you're in an awkward situation. Unfortunately the rule your mother taught you, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all," doesn't apply here, because your friend is waiting for an answer. So what do you say? You don't have to fawn over her book if you didn't enjoy reading it, but I'll bet you could find something positive to say. Maybe you thought the title was clever, or one of the main characters reminded you of a neighbor when you were growing up, or you thought a particular plot twist was clever. Or you could simply compliment her on accomplishing her goal of writing a book.
Every writer needs a cheerleader in the background and your friend is lucky to have you.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.muffinsandmayhem.com
*Meet authors, sample their books and enter for a free giveaway. It's fun and it's at AuthorBuzz.*
(Fiction)
A LADY NEVER SURRENDERS by Sabrina Jeffries
(Fiction)
THE HURRICANE LOVER by Joni Rodgers
(Fiction)
OXFORD MESSED UP by Andrea Kayne Kaufman
(THRILLER)
SECRET SIGNS by TJ Waters
(FICTION)
THE WHIP by Karen Kondazian
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE MARTYRED by Richard E. Kim. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/January12Classics
AUTHORBUZZ: SECRET SIGNS (THRILLER) by TJ Waters
Amy Kellen has a new job as a sign language interpreter for All Hands Video Relay Service, enabling routine telephone calls between the deaf and hearing communities. But when a political strategist dies during a video call Amy resolves to investigate the incident herself. She soon discovers she was not an observer, but rather the unwitting trigger of a political assassination. But can she save her daughter and herself when the assassins come for her?
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader Click on SECRET SIGNS to read more. Author TJ Waters would love to hear from you.
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