@ThePlumbob
I got a little rambly and now I'm going to ramble some more.
I try fairly hard to not let the way readers might be interpreting events to not steer me from my original intention, but as the story is still being written and I am semi-fluid with some of it, I'd imagine it must register with me on some level, even if it's subconscious. It's a weird double-edged sword, because sometimes it gives you extra insight into themes you might want to develop more or haven't considered, but then on the other hand, you shouldn't let it influence you too much because the readers don't have access to the full story yet.
I definitely struggle with this. It is probably part of the reason I rewrite a lot. But yes, sometimes I get some really good insights into things and I incorporate that into my story. I also am open to constructive criticism and think that it is good in the right context, such as... I want to know if I have gaping plot holes, or if my pacing is a little off, or even grammatical errors (I'm terrible with grammar/typos).
Other times I question myself and have to ask, am I rewriting this because I feel it needs to be better? Or am I just trying to appease my reader? I definitely think that you should write for yourself and if you are just doing something to appease your reader, the writing loses some of its originality/creativity. But I'm also a people pleaser, so this is an inner conflict I struggle with.
Just by chatting in this thread alone, we will likely have a different perception of each other's stories than someone who would start reading them say, by randomly stumbling across them in WP reader.
Simlit is kind of weird that way because at first, it is very anonymous, but then you can chat with the author and figure out what they meant or ask questions that might change your view of the story or characters. So yeah, in some ways the author is more present in simlit writing than with just a random book or WP blog you might read.
Haha that reminds me of some of the law of attraction self-help gurus.
Oh man, I remember
The Secret craze, and the author leading a sweat lodge retreat that injured/killed a bunch of people. Sorry to get morbid, but that's immediately what I thought of.
I feel like sometimes I play it very safe and don't give people enough, and sometimes I tell readers too much
I feel this way too. And sometimes it's hard to keep things secret because I get really excited about future events in my story and I want to share, but at the same time, I have to hold back because it's a spoiler.
It's a weird balance, because you obviously want your readers to see your characters/story the way you see them, but then no two people will ever look at one story the exact same way - but that's also the awesome part about getting to discuss them.
Yes definitely. I want my characters to be seen in a certain light, but I also get that, just like in real life, not everyone is going to like everyone or get along with everyone. I can't expect all my readers to always like or even see a certain character as I do and that is totally fine. It is always interesting to hear different viewpoints on a character/story.