At my reading at Book Passage on Tuesday I ran into a number of words in my own book that I had no idea how to pronounce. I suspect that at the time I wrote them I knew how to pronounce these words, but as time passed between the writing of the book and the publishing of it, I think my gray matter replaced the pronunciation of these words with other more pressing concerns. (Like, for example, how to change a diaper.)
I slipped up on “chic,” “reson d’etre” and “schlemeil, schlemazel, hassenpfeffer incorporated.” (Not slips of the tongue, when I came to the words, I literally didn’t know how to pronounce them.)
By the end of the reading I was prompting the audience for help. Anyway, the audience seemed to think it was kind of funny. I guess if I didn’t impress them with my intelligence, at least I made them laugh.
You mean you didn’t sing the “Schlemiel, schlemazel” line? Lifetime opportunity missed, right there.
Next time, I recommend that you avoid the problematic word entirely by replacing it with the phrase “changing diapers is more important.” Do it with a completely straight face, and give your audience a surreal moment they’ll never forget.