Should readers get to decide how a plot proceeds?

MicheleGorman · Tue Dec 13, 2011 2:08 pm

Hi everyone, Is it a good idea for a writer to collaborate on a book with readers, giving them a say in plot and character development? Do readers want to do this, or would they rather just read a book that's written solely by the author?

The full story about the project is here http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/dec/12/michele-gorman-chick-lit

Thanks!

pthreadneedle · Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:56 am

I think it's a fantastic gimmick (as the Guardian coverage suggests!) but I think you have to treat it as an interesting experiment rather than a new way forward for writing fiction. Sometimes not getting what you want is what keeps you interested. But, it will be fantastic to hear how this turns out.

To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever read a book and wished that a character had done something different. When I'm truly engrossed in a book, I daydream around the events, so I'm sort of making my own version up as I go along anyway. My own version(s) of the story can co-exist quite happily with what's on the page... if that makes sense?

Dpotts · Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:53 pm

I don't think so. My test readers have always been spectacular at telling me where my story has gone wrong, but absolute balls at telling me how to fix it. What they want isn't the same as what they (and a good story) need. As a reader, I can't have the joy of surprise or the sorrow of loss if I've told you where to take me.

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