Shelia wrote:
I don't like Lois, either. In all those pages, she's done two decent things, which is only one more than Clark has. Neither of them has shown a trace of empathy for how the other feels in the situation they've found themselves. I'm staggered by how relentlessly self-centered both of them are. I know everyone on the boards excused Lois for that because she was "hormonal and pregnant," but that doesn't excuse her not thinking about her baby after he was born or her handling him with all the love and wonder and amazement that she would give an uninteresting little dog that she was pet-sitting. If you want readers to believe otherwise, you have to show it. At this point, her only thoughts are of herself.
I wish you'd stop beating around the bush, Shelia, and tell us how you really feel about these two.
Shelia is a very intelligent person and an outstanding writer, so if she says something about a story I'm going to listen and give it credence. She's right that you've pretty much set these characters up to have to perform a Herculean task if they're going to end up actually in love and loving each other. Shelia has helped me to remember that while I really don't like this Clark, I'm not all that wild about this Lois, either.
But one of the beauties of the novel form is that the characters have the opportunity to change, to grow, to become more than they were when the story began. Clark's constant pining over Lana and Lois's comparisons of Clark to Joe aren't helping either of them, but they have another five years to finish growing up and a beautiful little bundle of reason to grow up. Maybe Sam can talk some sense into Clark's head. Despite Sam's weakness where Mindy is concerned, I like him a lot more than the Sam of the series. He's just such a darn nice guy.
The one selfless thing Clark has done - marrying Lois and claiming her baby as his own - has almost vanished in the flood of stupid he's been wallowing in since then, but it's something to build on. Lois's unremitting anger at Clark has its root in her missing him as a friend. Maybe that's the key. Maybe if Clark behaves as a real friend towards Lois, she can get past her justifiable anger at him long enough to see the selfless, caring person he's buried under all that stupid. Maybe if he treats Christopher as his actual son, he'll start the process.
The one positive thing about their current situation is that it's unlikely that it will get much worse. Oh, wait, there's Lois' attraction to Billy Norcross and Clark's attraction to Jessica and - oh, no, it
canget worse!
