Whenever I am stuck
in a story
I’m writing,
I look at the assumptions
I’ve made
and challenge them.
Because
we all make assumptions
about the world.
A work week starts
on a Monday, for example.
Or a phone call
is better than an email.
Or Generation X
isn’t a large enough market
to cater to.
These assumptions
can lead to illogical
and no longer relevant solutions.
“Cars have two headlights
because horse-drawn carriages
had two lanterns.
Of course you couldn’t
put a lantern in the middle,
that’s where the horse goes.
Now, it’s easy to make a bar of light,
one that illuminates from edge to edge.
And jobs used to be done by men,
because statistically,
it’s easier to find people
who can lift heavy objects
among the males in the population.
But now, most lifting isn’t heavy,
it requires insight and care instead.”
When we challenge
our assumptions,
we’ll often see opportunities.
These opportunities
can be gold.