I have a friend who has asked a favor of me. He is in the process of writing a book. It is non-fiction in the sense that it is the story of his family coming to America from Calabria in Southern Italy, but he is writing it as fiction (changing names, etc.). He sent me the first 50 pages in a pdf file and asked me for my input and criticism.

Here's the problem.

It's not very good.

The story itself is interesting. But it lacks flesh. A skilled writer paints pictures with words, describing scenes so that we can picture them in our minds as we read. His writing is lacking in such descriptions and reads more like someone recounting a story over dinner. Keeping to the important facts but trying to spare his guests the details that would, in that setting, lose their attention. As a result, it is herky-jerky and lacks a smooth flow.

So, what's the problem? Well, as many of you may have realized, I don't do the whole friends thing very well. I have known this man for over 40 years and still only see him maybe twice a year at the most. Yet gun to my head, I would have to call him my closest friend, after my wife. So how do I tell him his writing sucks without hurting his feelings? I got the sense from his phone call telling me the email was coming that he is extremely proud of what he is doing and sees this as possibly the next great Italian-American novel. Oy gevalt.