I have a few people in my life that I just can’t
communicate with. We talk, that’s not the problem. In fact, sometimes it is. I’ll
say something and get a reaction that in my mind is totally left field. It isn’t
until later while I’m mulling over the situation, that I realize what they
thought I meant, and it wasn’t what I was saying at all. Part of it is different
cultures, we both come from very different backgrounds, and part of it is just
not knowing each other that well.
Because my goal is to have my books be as real to
life as possible, I include that a lot in my stories. People don’t always get
each other, even when they think they do.
So true. We can't exactly control what assumptions another person brings into a conversation. I've had some really weird talks with a particular relative who often has an unspoken agenda and gets really offended when you can't mind read. If I wrote her, I'm willing to bet she'd never see herself in that character!
ReplyDeleteI've had people I know recognize themselves in my work, I just smile and play dumb.
DeleteI have definitely had this happen to me. It's a very good point, to put it in our writing, too.
ReplyDeleteI like what it does to the tension. Especially when the reader knows what the person really meant.
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