They have another five years to finish growing up and a beautiful little bundle of reason to grow up.
That's true, Terry. Remember, though, it takes time to overcome a reader's convictions, usually much more time than it took to develop them. (Lessee, 600 pages + more than 600 pages = 1250 to 1500 or 1800 pages
) That's one reason I don't want Carol to try to rush this to the archive.
The thing is, Carol, I don't want you to rewrite this whole thing. I just want a few scenes, maybe 8 or 10, scattered through the last 400 pages that would make me believe the two characters are redeemable.
I want to see Lois feeling sorry for what Clark had to give up and thinking that she needs to thank him some way, only to find him kissing Lana in the library. I want to see Lois crying, wishing Clark would treat her like he did before--and actually remembering a time when he behaved like a friend. I want to see her cuddling little Chris and feeling her heart swell so big that she can't swallow with the love that fills her. I want to see her torn up when she can't figure out why Chris is crying, not because she's tired and he won't go to sleep but because he's distressed and she can't make it better for him.
I want to see Clark sneaking off to help people secretly--and that gets him in trouble with Lois because he hasn't told her he's a superpowered alien yet. I want to see Clark doing several things: helping Lois, getting something for her that she mentioned, and doing something nice for her, only to feel guilty like he's cheating on Lana each time.
Those things would make me believe that the core personality of each main character is good and decent, that circumstances have just knocked them off track, and I would be waiting impatiently for the moment that knocks sense into their heads so they can grow up and
become those people.
