Taking On Readers' Suggestions?

[MyBareTorso]

Just wondering if many authors out there often took on reader's suggestions? If you've had any strange ones? Or created new stories off a reader's suggestion? An anonymous reader messaged me and suggested my recurring male exhibitionist character cross paths with WWE star Rhea Ripley. I never would have thought of such a thing! It was a challenge, but I had an absolute ball researching it and writing it. Anyone else had a similar experience? Or something that didn't go so well? Looking forward to seeing your responses! Thanks!

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I've had a few requests, and some suggestions. I finished one chapter story, 'One Look', that I'd been taking my time working on, because a couple of readers asked me to Pleeeease get the damn thing finished! I've also taken advice about the direction of a story or two. Occasionally a reader will ask me to try and write on subjects that I don't have much experience with, but I'll still make an attempt. I enjoy getting feedback and input from readers. It shows they take an interest in what I write, and are invested enough to make suggestions about where they'd like a story to go. In my opinion, that's always a good thing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I agreed to do some personalised erotica a while back, but she was so prescriptive in what she wanted, and it turned out to be so far away from erotic for me, that I begged out. A complete waste of time for both of us.

I'm currently writing a third chapter to a recent story, mainly because I received this great comment:

So perfect. As an author, I'm jealous. As a kinky fuck I'm hard, and I'll cum soon, dreaming of the next chapter, and Jenny between Alices legs with Alex up in her.

I mean, you can't let the bloke down, can you, not with such a simple premise?

 

[Smuttyandfun]

D

I agreed to do some personalised erotica a while back, but she was so prescriptive in what she wanted, and it turned out to be so far away from erotic for me, that I begged out. A complete waste of time for both of us.

I'm currently writing a third chapter to a recent story, mainly because I received this great comment:



I mean, you can't let the bloke down, can you, not with such a simple premise?

Does sound like a fun premise. Sounds like the reader enjoyed it, too!

 

[Rustyoznail]

I've had a few requests to write something the reader would like - usually another part, but only one fresh idea inspired me to write a story. The reader appreciated my take on his idea, so we were both happy with the result.

 

[RejectReality]

I've told this one before, but I had a reader anonymously message me in the middle of Blackhawk Hall. He offered up a challenge word to work into the next chapter, and I enjoyed the exercise. Another word followed after that chapter, and an entire new location arose out of it which is now an established part of Fightershaven. Pretty much every word generated something new, whether it was a location or a little plot point. After the second one ( part of the reason for offering the first was as a way of seeing if I was open to communicating ) we got to talking via email about the whole world. He was extremely curious about Zoraster's quirks for one thing. There was no real backstory for them. They were just there to service kinks, more or less. Thinking about it quickly spawned an idea that became Ebon Genesis, which explains all his weird quirks and kinks.

( And gives me the most devilish joy because people constantly curse me for making them feel sympathy for a sick bastard like Zoraster )

That's the most positive and fruitful example. There have been a few other stories or bits of stories that arose from suggestions, but it's almost always little things. The more detailed the thing someone wants me to write, the less chance it will go anywhere. I can't seem to light a fire someone's laid out, but sometimes I can kindle a spark into a bonfire.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Most suggestions are of the "she should have done more to him" "she should have done X,Y and X to him" - because most of my stories are female POV and focus on what's happening to her... I ignore.

I did get one comment at the end of a series, saying "Great story, amazing characters And dialogue! Dan and Ade need a sequel where Dan begs Ade to fuck him." At the time I figured that no, Dan not wanting to be the bottom is part of him and it wouldn't rapidly change.

About a year later, though, I was writing a sequel taking place about a year on, based round getting very relaxed in Turkish baths on holiday, and decided that yes, it was plausible that the guys had got to the point in their relationship where Dan wanted to try it. In another sequel another year later, it's mentioned that it's something they do sometimes.

Elsewhere I had a story that was mostly a rant about foreigners getting London wrong, especially in James Bond fic. mentioned both the weather, and how blueberry scones or pancakes do not fucking exist.

Got into discussion about how yes, you can have it being snowy or T-shirt weather in December in London, *if* you have characters remark upon it. Someone argued that you could have Q having studied at MIT and got into making blueberry pancakes for the 'morning after', and I figured I wanted to write about New Covent Garden Market anyway - so blueberry pancakes there were. Bond would still prefer a proper British fry-up.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Bond would still prefer a proper British fry-up.

Only if the sausages were from Claridges and he could give precise instructions for how his eggs were to be done.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Only if the sausages were from Claridges and he could give precise instructions for how his eggs were to be done.

He might prefer the same type of sausage that Claridges use, but no-one would ever cite a hotel when asked what sort of sausage they like! Gloucester Old Spot with sage and onion, possibly. My local butcher does a great Londoner sausage with parsley, sage and pepper, which makes a change from Cumberland ones.

He might have exacting instructions when in a 5-star hotel, but the guy has both charisma and manners - whether at someone's place the morning after, or in a classic Brit greasy-spoon caff, he's going to eat what he's given.

 

[EarlyMorningLight]

You have to weight your feedback. I’ve had one person tell me that my sex was too precise and detailed, and that I should leave more room for readers to fill in the blanks, but then I’ve had multiple people telling me that my attention to detail is their favourite thing about my writing. So I’m just going to continue to be me.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So I’m just going to continue to be me.

Always the best idea. None of the jokers who say, "Do it differently, do it my way," are you, so what the fuck would they know?

 

[TheRedChamber]

He might prefer the same type of sausage that Claridges use, but no-one would ever cite a hotel when asked what sort of sausage they like! Gloucester Old Spot with sage and onion, possibly. My local butcher does a great Londoner sausage with parsley, sage and pepper, which makes a change from Cumberland ones.

He might have exacting instructions when in a 5-star hotel, but the guy has both charisma and manners - whether at someone's place the morning after, or in a classic Brit greasy-spoon caff, he's going to eat what he's given.

Staying for breakfast seems a little bit too much commitment. By that time he's either got a mission, the credits are rolling or shes been murdered. Besides with his usual choice of ladies, it's far more likely to be a continental breakfast.
And Bond is not willing walking into a greesy spoon cafe.

(I probably don't mean Claridges, what's the department store that's not Harrods.)

 

[EarlyMorningLight]

Always the best idea. None of the jokers who say, "Do it differently, do it my way," are you, so what the fuck would they know?

It’s a balance. I’ve had beta readers rightly call me out on moments that need more work, or places where I gloss over something that needs more attention. I’m far from infallible.

But I’ve also been doing this writing thing for a long time. After awhile, you develop an understanding of critique that will make your writing better, vs critique which wants you to be a fundamentally different writer than who you are. And you learn how to grab onto the former and disregard the latter.

 

[Voboy]

I've done commission pieces for money, and they worked fine. I did have a fan email me years ago with an urge to write a personalized story for Lit, and I did, but only because his suggestion led my mind in its own directions. Turned out well.

Contrast that with SCORES of "helpful suggestions" on which I've not acted. Including demands for sequels, which I'd imagine every writer on Lit gets.

Write what you want to write. If that comes from a reader suggestion, then use it (preferably with attribution, if you know you wouldn't have had the idea on your own). If readers want to see a certain kind of story, nothing is stopping them from writing it themselves.

 

[shakna]

I'm just polishing off a spin-off story, which had the readers deciding who was going to survive a gladiator-style tournament to earn a resurrection back into the main tale, with each chapter. That's about as involved with the reader's suggestions as you can get. It's been fun, and the outcome isn't exactly the one I was hoping for, so I'll have to do some rewriting. Probably not something I'd do again, though. Lot of work.

I've occasionally taken on board suggestions in my non-fantasy stuff as well, but it doesn't tend to be that well received, unless I've worked directly with the individual on the exact details they want. Which, at that point... It's work. That should be a commission-only thing. Doesn't belong in my for-fun writing.

 

[Blind_Justice]

One of my most fun stories came about after releasing one of my lowest rated. "The Faceless Executioner" had a lot of issues, but at least one reader applauded me for writing Nazha, a half-dragon thieves' guild master and wondered if there would be some story involving her at some point. It took me a couple years, but I wrote "Nikym's Predicament", a story where Nazha features prominently in a sexy capacity, in part on this reader's behalf.

And they remembered our email exchange about that topic and left a favorable comment. Job well done, I suppose.

 

[Bray123]

Staying for breakfast seems a little bit too much commitment. By that time he's either got a mission, the credits are rolling or shes been murdered. Besides with his usual choice of ladies, it's far more likely to be a continental breakfast.
And Bond is not willing walking into a greesy spoon cafe.

(I probably don't mean Claridges, what's the department store that's not Harrods.)

Selfridges?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Staying for breakfast seems a little bit too much commitment. By that time he's either got a mission, the credits are rolling or shes been murdered. Besides with his usual choice of ladies, it's far more likely to be a continental breakfast.
And Bond is not willing walking into a greesy spoon cafe.

(I probably don't mean Claridges, what's the department store that's not Harrods.)

Fanfic tends to focus on Bond and other chaps such as Ben Whishaw's Q or Sean Bean's 006... Obviously when in a Caribbean beachside villa or continental hotel, he'd eat whatever they eat in those countries.

But Bond would definitely hit up his favourite greasy spoon for a hangover-curing breakfast. It's a total mix of all classes.

Selfridges, like Harrods, has an excellent food hall, but both are playing to the tourists with more money than sense in the last 30+ years. Your upper-middle-class foodie would have a local butcher or deli, possibly use the John Lewis food hall if having to go to Oxford St, but most likely just have a Waitrose delivery.

 

[Lady2020]

Sky Cruise: nuclear-powered sky hotel. Just saw a tweet w video about it. The comments to it are interesting, like what could possibly go wrong?

 

[SimonDoom]

I think it's fine to do this as long as the suggestion is consistent with your own artistic goals and vision and as long as it doesn't become a burden. I've done some stories at the request of others, but I sometimes feel like doing so adds extra stress and pressure because I'm writing for someone else and not just for myself. The one suggestion I'm typically loath to take is, "You should write another chapter of this story!" which is very common. If the story is done, it's done, and it's usually best to move on to a new one.

 

[KelvinBlack]

Only if the sausages were from Claridges and he could give precise instructions for how his eggs were to be done.

Exactly what I was thinking... Bond is a finicky jibbet if there ever was one...!

 

[BronzePlaceWriter]

Generally I have learned to be cautious of reader's suggestions. Most readers are not writers, they don't really know what they're asking, how much effort it might take or how much it goes against your general characterisation up to that point. They will ask for things that they want with no regard as to how it affects the overall work, how many other readers might not like it or whether it goes against something that you have already set down.

One good example of this I got back when I wrote for other sites was a story involving a girl and a guy who had been crushing on each other for ages. When they both turned 18, the girl decided to do something about it and offered herself as a gift to the guy for his birthday. She promised to do anything he wants for a week. The story is about how they grow closer over that time and both of them push and discover their limits.

So basically, it's a bunch of sex scenes in different places/with different toys followed by emotional scenes of the two growing closer. Generally, it was well received but one reader put in a pretty detailed suggestion that the girl get pregnant and we timeskip to her getting bigger as well as some milk related stuff? I don't remember the whole thing. Point is, that wasn't the focus of the story. By doing it I would actively be cutting out the heart of what the story was all about - their blossoming relationship and how doing this new thing together changed both of them. Essentially, the entire thing was centred around the discovery period of them getting together and this reader wanted to jump right to them being an established couple, heavily pregnant. I get that this was their fetish but even if I had wanted to do something with it, the format of the story did not allow it.

That's what I mean when I say readers don't always know what they're asking. Especially for writers of erotica, readers often just want to get to the scenes that turn them on or create more such scenes with little thought for how it alters the overall work.

Which is not to say that you should ignore all suggestions, of course. But it is important to weigh each and every one of them carefully and the more detailed they are, the more cautious you need to be before you even think about doing anything with them. You always have to remember that it is your work, ultimately you are the final arbiter of what happens there, and you are also the one who will suffer if you take a bad suggestion and the work tanks. The reader will still be happy they got their scene, it's you who will be left holding the empty bag and with a reputation as someone who let a good story go bad.

 

[MelissaBaby]

My experience is that when you write any sort of ongoing series, you will get a fair number of reader suggestions. For the most part, the ones I received were either based on a misunderstanding of the characters (For example, suggesting that a character who was well defined as both heterosexual, and totally devoted to her husband, have sex with her lesbian stepdaughter) or were anticipating future turns in the story that were already both planned and foreshadowed.

The suggestion that I did take was one that was brought up on several occasions by different readers. The original intent of the series was to tell the entire story of a long lasting realtionship, solely from the POV of the two partners. But as the story grew and the cast of supporting characters grew larger and more defined in their own right, people wanted more about some of them, and I did eventually decide to do some chapters from other POV, telling their stories.

It turned out to be a good decision. Some of those chapters were among the most well received.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Fanfic tends to focus on Bond and other chaps such as Ben Whishaw's Q or Sean Bean's 006... Obviously when in a Caribbean beachside villa or continental hotel, he'd eat whatever they eat in those countries.

Far be it from me to tell people how to fan correctly, and I understand the appeal of self-insert nerd characters, but surely shipping Bond and Nu-Q is the queer equivalent of me starting a story "Bond had married Moneypenny, had two children together, and taken a desk job at MI6 requisitions. He was on his way home and was picking up milk in Lidl when..."

Alex Trevelyan would definitely take Bond to a greesy spoon cafe, but only as a way of inflicting sadistic torture on him. "What's the matter James...your beans touching your egg. Nevermind, old chap, I'll open you up a bottle of bubbly. Oh, It's not a 57 Moet, but you'll soon get used to the taste of Vimto. Ha ha ha..."

But Bond would definitely hit up his favourite greasy spoon for a hangover-curing breakfast. It's a total mix of all classes.

Silly sausage, Bond doesn't get hangovers in the same way he doesn't suffer from erectile disfunction or have a bad stomach from the local food and his flights to South America are never delayed for 6 hours. (These things may have happened to Craigs' Bond, wouldn't suprise me, but I'll have been fast asleep by that point).

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Far be it from me to tell people how to fan correctly

Far be it from me to defend the vast pile of terrible fanfic out there - Bond and colleagues can be persuaded to do many things quite plausibly, but they're never going to sound like teenage girls - but it's less implausible than half of book or film canon.

Bond is Scottish, went to Eton, Fettes and then Geneva or Cambridge for uni (books vs films). He then served in the Navy for years, rising to Commander. And you know what they say about sailors.

And that's before you get into being held prisoner in N Korea and other places.

He'd eat anything (and seduce anyone). He'd probably reject the Vimto solely so he could have Irn-Bru instead (for those unfamiliar, the stuff is advertised as 'Brewed in Scotland. From girders.')

I loved the Craig films (my home! People like me!), except the too-serious QoS and the last third of the recent one. There may be a long-running film or TV series improved by adding a cute young child, but I've not met it yet.