Interestingly heated responses there
First, I should point out that I had VERY neat handwriting, and until one looked closely, it wasn't obvious that anything in the text had been altered. That was the whole point.

Second, changing arbitrary labels - character names, in this case - doesn't change the semantic or syntactic meaning of the sentences in which they are embedded, and so theoretically shouldn't make a decently-written story any less compelling or enjoyable*. However, it can highlight the weaknesses in bad writing.

(* Yes, of course there are examples in literature where names are chosen to match particular character traits or are plot-relevant. These weren't.)
(Turangalila, Sat 7 Jan 2012, 21:29, 3 replies)

My childhood was RUINED when Billy Blue Hat got pregnant :(((

( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Sat 7 Jan 2012, 22:09, closed)

So how would you react if someone edited your books and removed the elements they didn't like?

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sat 7 Jan 2012, 22:14, closed)

That's right,
it's not vandalism if you do it neatly.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Sat 7 Jan 2012, 23:00, closed)

Or
If you get your lover to bash your head in with a hammer
(unclestinky, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 0:15, closed)

This thread made me think of this too.

( Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 19:20, closed)