I am not going to quote your post because it is so long but I want to address the last part of your statement.
It is not whether the reader saw exactly what you saw. It is that the reader saw something in your story that attracted them. You have to remember the reader is reading it with their own experiences and background.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
Take an entertainer for example. You could write about one even if you have no experience being an entertainer. Your reader may have actually been an entertainer and will more than likely see that character as slightly different than you intended.
Other example comes straight from a book. (The guy needed an editor that didn't worship the ground he walked on.)
There was a drug scene in a book. The author had the guy roll two joints. One for him and one for the girl he went home with. Another drug scene had the guy sharing a joint with guys he didn't know It made no sense.
My first thought was the author had never done drugs. Almost took me out of the story. Later worse things did make me NOT finish the book and even though the guy has published another 4 at least since then I have not bought any of them.
Turns out the only time the guy had seen drugs was when a dealer was giving away free samples.
So yes, prospective is everything.
So remember, your reader is rarely if ever going to see what you see.
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