Writing for publication can be a difficult road to navigate. The path is fraught with feedback from everyone from peers to publishers and that can make it tricky to create something publishable while staying true to yourself. At times, it’s tempting to sacrifice a piece of your work or characters to be more palatable for publication or to mask or dilute your own voice to appeal to the masses.

Beta readers, editors, agents, reps, etc. will have have changes they want made to be able to better enjoy or market your novel. Some of these changes will be benign and easily incorporated. Hell, many of them should be made. All of us, pros and rookies alike, have room to learn and grow. No work is perfect and no one makes it straight through the road without making changes.

Sometimes, however, those suggestions alter the course of your work and characters…