So what assumptions could really annoy you as a writer. Some of these I've come across directly, others I've heard about.
- You're a short story writer? Can't take long to bash those out then! (Grrr......)
- It must be easy to be a writer, everyone's doing it these days, you just sit at your PC and type. (Again grrrr....).
- Online publication doesn't really count, does it? (Particularly aggravating given a lot of my stories are online!).
- If you're a good writer, you'll get it right straight away. Why do you need to write so many drafts first then? (I could swear here but won't).
- If you're a writer, why are you reading other authors then? Surely you should be busy writing. (Ahem! If you don't love stories in the first place, why are you trying to write them? And how can you know you love stories unless you read them!).
- You're a published writer? Raking it in then are we? (No!).
So what assumptions do your characters have and on what are they based? What are the inbuilt "prejudices" the world of your story has as part of its history? (That's why I put speech marks around the word prejudices given for your characters and your world, they will not see it that way. It will be their history, culture and so on). Does anyone challenge those assumptions and, if so, what are the consequences? Can the assumptions be changed? Has anyone ever managed to change them and, if so, for better or worse?