Our
last interactive Moonlight Musings was all about negative criticism. This
month, we shall trek into the tricky realm of “That’s Not What I Meant”. Or, those
times when readers interpret our writings in unexpected (peculiar, bewildering, enlightening, and even
humorous) ways which have very little to do with
what we intended to convey.
Let’s
write articles about misread words that conjure hysterical interpretations, about
grammatical errors (horrors?) which change the meaning of a piece, about descriptions (which we thought brilliant) that end up filling our readers’ minds with images we can
hardly recognize.
I
particularly would love to read about how you, dear word lover, handle this
sort of situation. Do you get irritated? Do you pretend that it isn’t happening?
Do you laugh until your rib cage hurts?
Our
new articles—written in prose—should be 369 words or fewer.
Add
the direct link to your contribution to Mr. Linky. Visit other writers. And if
you can, have fun (goodness knows the world needs more of
that).
 |
the face I make when I’m trying to figure out why (and how)
a reader could see something in my writing, which I can’t even begin to glimpse
|
Can't wait to read your "misunderstood" bits.
ReplyDeleteI guess it must happen to others besides me, then? I could have written volumes! No very hilarious examples, I'm afraid – just puzzling ones.
ReplyDeleteNo, you are not alone, my dearest wild one. And I'm quite convinced that the "puzzling ones" are more common that the humorous. And let's not even get started about the irritating ones, because... well, volumes!
DeleteOff to read your bit!
Loved the prompt, Magaly!❤️
ReplyDeleteYay! ;-)
DeleteAm having a very quiet day....but will read and comment a bit later.
ReplyDeleteIt seems a lot of us are having a quiet day. Grins. We all need some of those every now and again. I had a rather eventful week. So, perhaps the universe is being nice and balancing things out for me.
DeleteI am completely stumped as to what to write - and I've been thinking hard about it! For once, I might read first to see what you've all come up with and hope for some inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that after reading Rosemary's post, your muse will come up with something.
DeleteAfter I wrote the prompt, I realized that this might be a difficult topic. Not because we don't have things to write about, but because most of the stuff is about people who birth the strangest of ideas out of our words babies--and that is rarely a comfortable situation.
I confess that I wrote a different post for the prompt. It spoke of a time when someone, in not so gentle terms, told me that I needed to add a trigger warning note if I was going to write about rape. I was beyond shocked, since the piece in question was about eating mangoes with my teeth.
But... I had a difficult week. Two of my friends passed away in less than 36 hours (they were ready for it, but that doesn't help). I found myself needing to write something that made me laugh, and that would probably make them laugh too. Hence the Chewbacca/Cousin Itt post.
I'm smiling right now, imagining them poking angels in the shoulder, and saying, "You have to read this. Our friend is so wonderfully ridiculous."
Oh Magaly, I am so sorry to hear you have lost two friends at once. That is just so hard, and an awful lot to have to deal with. I am also amazed that someone could have misinterpreted eating a mango as rape. Wow. I hope you can find some time to rest and absorb the loss of your friends. I love the idea of them nudging the angels, and getting them to read you. They can always use a laugh in heaven, given what they see going on on earth!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry. I absorb by doing. So, I will probably spend some time thinking what I will add to my All Hallows' Altar to represent them. That always helps me process.
DeleteAnd yes, about the mango confusion. I think a line about biting into it with my teeth put the reader in a specific state of mind. Words (and experience) work in mysterious ways...
Well, mangoes are very sensual – but even so, that's quite a leap. I guess we know whose mind had things like rape in it; not yours!
DeleteYes, two at once is a bit much! But personally I am glad that most of my nearest and dearest chose to go around the same time of year. My anniversary reaction is a real whammy, but I get it over with all at once. (And yes, Halloween is coming up for you.)
We know, indeed.
DeleteRosemary, I think it hit me harder because they were so young—50 and younger.
Oh yes, very hard when they leave too young.
DeleteA good one, Magaly! Because I live in my own world, I didn’t think I’d have anything to post...THAT’S when I remembered a time when ....,😧
ReplyDeleteIt seems you did too good of a bajón forgetting that guy. 😁
DeleteMagaly, I am sorry for your loss. I'm thinking you found each other while having treatments. I've found that those and therapy are great meeting places, like going to the club.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do your prompt much justice with near 369 words, mine were a mere twenty-eight. I wrote a five line Senyru Tanka. But I think the required elements are there, the situation, the critique, and my response.
I have had a busy weekend so far; we had seventeen dinner guests last night which meant preparing, cooking, entertaining, cleaning after and dishes and other stuff. Then today we have football, LSU, Rice, and now Nebraska.
I wrote the ditty a few minutes ago during the Huskers (Nebraska).
((((HUGS)))) for You, Magaly,
..
Strangely, Jim, we had been friends for years. I met one in blogland and the other in the Marine Corps. They were both diagnosed after me, but the cancer was too advanced.
DeleteWow, you weren’t joking, your week was certainly eventful. Get some rest!