Making Assumptions

A couple weeks ago, I was making breakfast. My 3-year old wanted to help, so I gave him two slices of bread to put in the toaster. I turned away, listening for the sound of the toast going down so I could move him away before it got hot.

But the toaster didn't turn on.

Curious, I turned to see what the problem was and discovered that he had taken the two slices of bread and jammed them into the same side of the toaster. Even worse, it was homemade bread and turned into a wonderful, crumbly mess.

And it was completely my fault for assuming that he would take two slices of bread and put one in each slot of the toaster. Sure, in my mind two slices and two slots = 1 slice per slot, but I'm not 3. I don't see the world in the same way he does and he certainly doesn't see it in the way I do. And I shouldn't assume that he would. He's coming from a different place and has a different perspective.

I'm really bad when it comes to making assumptions about things.

One of the things I love most about reading is the chance to experience life through someone else's eyes and to see that different perspective. Everyone has their own view on life and I think those small variations are part of what makes characters so interesting. But at the same time, it can also be frustrating as a reader when you can't understand why a character made the decision they did.

Right now I'm starting to revise a novel that I'd put away for several months and I'm realizing that part of the trouble I had was that I didn't justify the main character's decisions. I assumed that because her reasons were so clear to me, they'd be clear to the readers. Apparently, this wasn't the case, particularly when it came to which of the two guys she chose at the end. After exchanging manuscripts, a friend even told me, "If this had been an actual book, I would have thrown it."

Um, yeah. So the wrong guy then?

I guess I shouldn't assume that people will understand why my MC picked the guy she did and I should actually tell them why she made that decision. Because I promise there were reasons.

Also, while I'm giving myself advice about not making assumptions anymore, I should also mention that cutting out words in a query and assuming that the meaning will still be clear is probably not the best idea. Really. Sacrificing clarity for brevity is not a good idea.

And now I should probably go check on the loud thumping sounds coming from upstairs. I'm assuming that that isn't a good sound and that's probably one of the few assumptions I'm safe making.

Happy Tuesday!