Sometimes I feel sad my cat Roo can’t speak to me.
I would love to know how he sees the world, what his favorite treat is, what wet-food flavor he most likes, what he is afraid of, and what I can do to make his life more joyful.
Yet then I realize that all he ever does is speak to me—with meows, body language, purring, glances, head butts, and the occasional bite, nibble, and paw blow.
My ability to communicate with my cat isn’t driven be his lack of intelligence, but my own—my ability to listen, my ability to observe, and my ability to translate.
I need to remember this for my projects: if my writing isn’t resonating with my audience, then it’s not their fault, it’s mine. It’s my writing craft and writing content that needs to be improved, not my readers’ comprehension skills.
Simply put, it’s not them, it’s me.