Think As The Reader

Authors have tunnel vision. This is a simple fact and it takes some time to break yourself of that habit. This is part of the reason why having a strong critique group who can be honest with you and have a diverse background and thought pattern can help you. Here is the thing. When you start writing your story, you only see the story in the way YOU crafted it. 

There is only one path as you see it.

However, that path might not be the best path. But darn it! You are stubborn author and you are not going to change it for anyone! You can out argue anyone who says anything different! But this is when you DO need to listen. And this is why I always tell authors to stop every now and then and think like the reader. I do this not just with their stories, but with their synopsis, with their query letter, with their resume, with their pitches. It doesn't matter. Turn the table around and look at it from the other side. In my resume writing class, I always say "Would you hire you?"

Consider this... You know exactly what your character looks like and sounds like. That character is perfectly formed IN YOUR BRAIN. But it is your job to translate that collection of electrical impulses in that lumpy mass between your ears into something intelligible on the page in front of you. That is what I mean of Think As The Reader. Would your reader, who has never been there before, has never experienced that before, has never seen it before, fully get what you are saying? 

If not? Fix it!