Yes, very good question.
As a reader as well as a writer, one of the things I enjoy most about comment folders is the dialogue it is possible to have between readers and writers. Suggestions are made, hypotheses are proposed, and a discussion ensues. It's far, far more enjoyable still when the author responds and engages with the discussion, whether or not the author wishes to take any of the suggestions on board.
For myself, although I usually have a buffer (currently 6 pages, so don't expect a new post any time soon
) and at least one beta-reader, I never consider a story 'finished' until it's all posted on the boards and all feedback threads are pretty much finished. There've been so many times I've received excellent suggestions, corrections, helpful critiques and even brilliant ideas in comment folders and in private email about WIPs that
not to take readers' suggestions on boards would seem crazy, to me. I know that many of my stories have been improved thanks to ideas people have given me and inaccuracies which have been pointed out.
So, while I chose the final option, readers' suggestions are immensely important to me. I won't accept all of them, for various reasons - I may not see the story going in that direction, it might not fit in with the plot, it may feel too similar to something someone else has written, I may not feel confident about writing the idea in question - but I value all of them, and when I think I won't utilise a suggestion, I try to explain why in my response.
Thanks for the poll, Roger; any more responses?
Wendy
