Kathy,
Thanks for your comments. I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying it.
I realise that there are problems with breaking character. It wasn't something I'd wanted to do. Like I said, responses dwindled rapidly, and I was beginning to wonder if people were actually reading. I can certainly understand FOLCs having trouble with my having broken character, and I don't blame them for speaking their minds. It was just disheartening to hear.
As to the "plot," there is very little that is set. I still don't know what's going to happen next or how Clark will find his Lois. Most of the details you see were invented between one post and the next.
I can't speak for the intentions of those who presented solutions, but I don't think I can agree with you that they were "suggestions." "Clark, I'm Lois. Here I am, come pick me up!" is not a suggestion. It doesn't add to the plot. It ends it suddenly and out of the blue. As I said, ending the plot means ending the story, for myself and for anyone else who was reading, enjoying, and maybe even planning to participate.
For me, the fun is in interacting with the readers, working with their suggestions, and exploring and expanding the universe with them. Yes, I do enjoy thinking on my feet, but I'd prefer that it be in reaction to a constructive post rather than scrambling to find a way to head off something that derails the whole plot.
On that note, I'd like to thank Andrus for stepping in on my behalf. I'd been thinking that I should find someone who wanted to play Andrus, that it was the only way to get the plot moving again without having Clark reject a simple and direct means to acomplishing his goal. I did try explaining that the solution wouldn't work, but, as you saw, the hint wasn't taken. So, imagine my surprise when I logged on to find an email from Andrus and a post that looked exactly like the one I'd been planning to suggest.
If you look at the post, you'll see that Andrus does interact directly with AltClark's universe, but the important thing is that it does so constructively. Rather than ending things, it reopens the possibilities.
So, thank you very much, Andrus. You saved the story.
Kathy, thanks again for your comments. I hope my view is clearer now, whether or not you agree.
AltClark
