Yeah, I am pretty much a "Write What You Know..." kind of writer, though there are times that I have my "I Wonder What Would Happen If..." (which, incidentally, if while playing an MMORPG with me and you hear me utter those words over TeamSpeak or Discord... RUN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!! It usually, never ends well. lol).
I have always enjoyed testing the limits of my imagination and started writing at a very early age, there have been many times even prior to picking up a pen where I would retreat into my own skull to escape the boring humdrum existence that we call LIFE... whether in mass, or while in school, or even sitting bored on a couch or prior to falling asleep, endlessly running concepts, ideas, exploring worlds in my imagination or playing "hero" to the "jock's cheerleader girlfriend".
Wired for imagination at an early age... and have always been the one, while in group settings, to stand/sit quietly and just watch others... watch how they interact, talk, stand, the gestures they make, the facial ticks and expressions... smiling and nodding myself at all the right moments to be granted the ability to just observe...
...and then I apply those observations, thoughts, emotions and expressions in my own work, finding the right fit for a particular character for any given emotion or situation, regardless of how 'fantastical' the situation may be... to such an extent that I've often have internal 'arguments' with my characters for not doing the things that I'd like them to do, either because they seem to have other ideas of their own, or they decide to rebel and take the long way to get to where I want them to be.
That's why I have repeatedly stated in regards to the story, that it is what it is... it can't change... I can't ask a character that has a particularly, pre-created personality and have them go against that nature, simply because readers might find such actions to be gratifying to them... they can suggest fetishes or ideas, but those things would likely be applied to an appropriate character that would accept that situation, or if forced upon them react accordingly.
Case in point... the Character of Claire is never going to be a perfect A+ Student and openly trusting and naïve... given her background (which more of which will be shown next month) wouldn't permit those actions and responses from her... it would be impossible for me as a writer to try and inject that into her, and if I did, she wouldn't be Claire anymore...
Which is why I was and am so adamant with saying that the story can't change... yes, I can take suggestions and try to find a place to apply them, but I can't butcher my story or characters... each serves a purpose and has a use... as Piers Anthony once cleverly described in his Xanth series, you may not have a full understanding of the thread's importance, until the full tapestry is completed.