I went with the first option -- the one that suggests that I won't take readers' comments on board. That's true as far as it goes...
When I start a story, I always have an end in mind. Like Annie, I don't write in a linear fashion; that makes it very difficult to post stories before I have a complete, or very nearly complete, draft available. That in turn means that I am unlikely to take on board any suggestions that conflict with my vision for where the story is going.
(Of course, I did write one story where I had a beginning and an end, and my muse decided to take a diversion on the route between the two so the story that turned out in the end was longer and more involved than I'd expected at the outset.)
Does that mean that I never take account of readers comments?
No. It does not.
I have received feedback for my current story that will get incorporated in the final archive version. However, these suggestions are in the detail of the story. So far, nobody has said that they have huge quibbles with the plot, so I haven't been tempted to change that! I'm not sure what I'd do if someone did point out a huge gaping plot hole. (I'd probably try to plug it if I agreed with the comments. If I didn't, I'd let it be.)
When I wrote EMI, Mere emailed me privately to point out an error. I changed the final version of the story accordingly (changing the location of a key discussion between two of the characters. The discussion remained the same, though.)
I guess the point here is that I will make changes retrospectively but, because feedback is reactive, and because I'll have so much of the story set out before a part gets posted, it doesn't dictate the path that the story takes.
I don't let suggestions that people make influence the plot in the biggest scheme of things. That will have been determined by the original spark of an idea that prompted me to write in the first place.
Where feedback does help, though, is to show what I am doing well / badly / right / wrong etc etc. Maybe it won't influence the current story, but it may well help me to improve on what I write next.
Moreover, it may be that a throwaway comment in an email might spark off the idea for another story... as was the case with A Most Irregular Joe.
Chris
