Comments and/or feedback here please.

Bob

Well done, Bob. It makes me especially glad that Clark followed Paul into the zone. This Clark isn't leaving anything worthwhile behind.

Well done my friend, well done. (Sniff!)

Bob,

Well done my friend.

The back story is very sad. I am very sorry that you bad to go through that. Fortunately that is all behind you and has been for over three decades.

Please allow me to wish you a Merry Christmas with your personal Lois.

Merry Christmas, Bob. It's a sad story -- and a sad back-story! -- but it makes perfect sense for a prequel to The Pub. Here's hoping this Clark's next 33 Christmases are as great as yours.

Kathy

Hmmm, what was that rule. Oh, yeah, “Never write yourself into your own story.” For the record, I promise not to do that again. I do have some good stories that are a lot more fun than this one, but Clark be NOT standing in for me any more.

Now that that’s out of the way, I hope this wasn’t too upsetting. I like uplifting stories more than almost anyone, but sometimes holidays aren’t all sweetness and light. Sure, Clark went through the ringer here, but we know that his soul mate is waiting less than a day away.


HappyGirl:
It’s nice to see you here. Thanks for the note. And of course you were right, I did need that grammar (and other) review.


Morgana:
Thanks. And thank you for the input on the story.


Hi, Ken,
Thank you, and merry Christmas to you too. You’ve found me out. Captain Kirk may not have believed in the no-win scenario, but I don’t believe in the sad-ending scenario and Bev is the reason why.


Kathy:
Good. I was worried that the tie-in was too tenuous. When the idea came to me as a Pub prequel, it seemed like a perfect fit. Usually I have a good feel for if an idea will work or not, but due to the nature of this one, I just couldn’t tell. Well, now that I’ve put him through that, I guess I should see what I can do to make it up to him. However, this Clark and Lois are going to have to wait. These shorts are fun, but they keep pulling me off my real project - the SkyFall sequel.


Again, thank you all.
Bob

Very nicely done. Sometimes the personal inspiration really makes the story.

Joan

How sad and poignant.

Congratulations on finding your dawn (by the name of Beverly). Due to your experiences, you know how very lucky you are.

Hi, Joan Thank you. I was more than a little concerned that the story wouldn't even be remotely interesting to anyone else.


Virginia: There's another imitation of this kind of story. For everything else I've written, I can tell you exactly what any character was thinking at every point in the story. In this case, I have no more idea than you about what was going through their minds. This is all startlingly true. But there is a down side to letting yourself get too close to the characters. A couple of years ago when I was writing a lot, I was so into the the Lois and Clark characters that in at least a few cases, high angst stories cost me whole nights of sleep. That was part of the reason that I had to back away for a while and remind myself that Lois is not Bev. (Yeah, it sounds a little crazy to me to.) I just showed this part to Bev. Thank you for bringing a smile to her face.


Bob

Dark, but great! I felt bad for Clark, and then I read the reminder that this is a prequel for the Pub and I breathed easy. Glad Clark could get that.

Hi Mouserocks

I'm glad you liked it. It's Christmas. Santa was just a little late.

Bob

Lovely story, Bob. I'm glad you added the personal note at the end - it made the story so much more powerful.

I think a lot of celebrations can bring both joy and sadness, depending on circumstances. For instance, Mothers' Day is wonderful for mums/moms, but must be terrible for women who have lost a child or were never able to conceive.

You showed this two-sides-to-one-event really well when Clark could hear the family enjoying Christmas, but their celebrations only made his situation worse.

Thanks for sharing,

Corrina.

Thank you, Corrina. I think that happens more than we generally like to talk about. Happy and joyous occasions can often trigger sad or painful memories. The key is to focus on the positive and never lose hope.

Bob

Michael

Hi, Michael. Not at all!

Re: I visualized this as being a very regional thing. In a smaller town that didn't have direct impacts, I figured that they would have a higher degree of normalcy. At least, that was my thinking.

Thanks for the feedback.
Bob

Ah, yes. For some reason I read Clark's backstory as being in Metropolis the whole time. Dunno why, though

Michael