Sweetie Mom and I go grocery shopping together every week.
When we check out, I always ask the person bagging to keep them on the light
side.
Funny thing - when I'd pick up the bags expecting them to be
a manageable weight, I'd want to call for a crane. The person would take a few
items out, which would make them easier to handle.
After one such incident, it dawned on me why this was such a
problem. The young football player types were judging the weight by how light
it was for them and not for us. From that point on, I'd jokingly tell them to
bag the groceries so it would be light for two older people (even though it
pinched my brain to consider myself as older).
Someone once told me that my futuristic stories of America weren't
scary enough. They had been in third-world countries and observed all kinds of
horrors. Most people born and raised here have not been exposed to this type of
experience. When reviews began coming in for The Moses Conspiracy, one
recurring theme was how much it seemed like where we were headed.
There's some advice I take to heart with my writing, but I
examine it all with care. The wrong advice can set your story, not to mention
your readers, on its ear. Also, I take into consideration whether the people
critiquing my work have a worldview similar to mine.
Who would have thought that bagging groceries and writing
would have anything in common? It's all about perspective.
Writers: How do you
evaluate the writing advice you get from critique partners or beta readers?
Readers: We all
filter what we read through the lens of our own experience. How does your
personal experience impact your book choices?
Photo Credit: spekulator
