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Give up the day job?

HickeyHickey
edited November 2007 in - Writing Problems

Comments

  • HickeyHickey
    Give up the day job? Certainly not, but I wish.
    How could I ever tell anyone else not to? 

    A brave author has been circulating their manuscript through a series of "friends of friends".  The author wants us to write a little of our opinion onto a pre-provided note, and seal it in the pre-provided envelope, before passing onto the next person.  Eventually we'll give it back to Steph and she'll return it.
    While I applaud the idea, I'm now in a conundrum.

    Do I actually say what I really think of the manuscript - plot, story, pacing, dialogue etc?
    I feel I should be honest, but I don't wanna be a bitch.  It is one of the most dreary, badly written and altogether dull things I’ve ever read. Were I employed to review this I’d be using such words as ‘incinerate’, ‘recycle’ and ‘toilet paper’
    The first three pages were painful, I skipped a few, then a few more, read the end, read bits of the middle and it all became too much.  There was not one phrase, nor one image to catch me enough to make the next line worth reading. (I kid you not).  Shorter sentences wouldn’t even have improved this one. 
    Now my texts are nothing special, so please don’t take me the wrong way here, I’m an un-published, gutless, house-wifely type who has delusions of writing… but Blimey!
    No spark, no life, no voice at all. There’s at least a pack of paper here – someone’s worked really hard.
    Did I read the other comments? You bet I did.  (I’m just a horrid girl really, coz I KNEW it was wrong)  Many others had said nice things about the manuscript, some of them being the same people who told me it was a drag when they handed it to me. (Actually, maybe I’m not the bad one).

    What would you do? How honest should I be? Truth or dare?
  • CarolCarol
    Simple, you don't have to be cruel. Just say,from what your extensive research and contacts with published authors has taught you , that it still needs a good deal of revising to bring it up to publishable standards, and you look forward to looking at her next draft.
    She might hate you of course, but when it gets sent out and comes rushing back, she might heed your words.
  • Stan2Stan2
    You've got somehow to someone tell her that it's not too good. Tricky one this!
  • HickeyHickey
    With no contacts to speak of - who am I to slight another. So I read it as a 'reader' and how else could one read anything, I suppose. I can't read as an author: I've not published anything. I tried not to read it as 'one who writes'.  It was just... not very good... at all.  Awful.  My heart, and my heart tell me to be honest.  Then I'm back to the old subjective semantics of tact vs. honesty.  I'm having trouble.  I have to pass it on Tuesday.
    If it were me... mine, I mean - I'd quit and take up fishing.
  • NephNeph
    I'd be honest, I would hate to think that something I wrote was dire and no-body had had the guts to tell me.  I would try to find something positive to tell her, there has to be something, and then just point out a few of its flaws, suggesting she might like to rework it a little.
  • NephNeph
    Having had to find something positive to say about some really dire stuff on youwriteon, you find a way of saying it awful without actually saying that.  You have to appreciate there is a little bit of personal taste that colours your view, but yea sometimes something is awful.  In the long run I am sure she will appreciate the honesty.

    I have to admit I have a couple of friends I show my stuff to, one is always 'that was brilliant' the other is 'I liked this but that bit sucked'.  I know which one I prefer, honesty is good.
  • HowardHoward
    If it's the case that you had little choice over reading it, the author can hardly complain if you give an honest opinion. Of course, sensitivities are also at stake, so you can always cop out by saying it's not my kind of thing or something similar.(People do it all the time on YWO, then they hit you below the belt with their marking!)
  • CarolCarol
    The other option, is to say that if they want an unbiased view they should use a critique service.
    I'm all for being positive if there is something there, but honesty is needed- how it's done is the tricky bit.
  • VericaVerica
    Just be tactful and say that it must have taken a lot of thought, time and hard work to prepare, but needs some drastic editing to make it suitable for publishing, as we're all advised to be ruthless editors of our work.             
  • HickeyHickey
    Thanks all for your suggestions. I've decided to tpye my 'review' in times roman size 10 and then deny to all and anyone that I even looked at the script. I just had to be honest, but I've limited my response to include no words longer than four letters (nice, help, edit, quit, don't, plot? etc). 
    All advice received on this thread was greatfully accepted.
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