Diplomacy

Sometime it takes a lot of delicate balancing to be able to give feedback diplomatically, in a way that will not make the other person defensive or over-burdened with criticism. It’s difficult to predict how others will respond to the honest, constructive criticism that is part of a productive writing relationship. Their reaction may depend on little, unrelated things, like how well they slept the night before, or how their significant other spoke to them during their last encounter, or how much caffeine they had or didn’t have that morning. Others’ responses are varied and unpredictable, a little like the weather in the Midwest. And now with our global climate crisis happening, you might find that the writers in your life are taking your input even more erratically than ever.

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