ATTN JMS: The arc, the whole arc, and nothing but the arc...

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: paj at pajc.com (Philip Johnson)
Date: 25 May 1998 15:40:17 -0600
Lines: 48


Joe, 

Time and again you have told us that you came online to discuss the
process. I have been reading your posts since pretty close to the
beginning. I have delighted in the way you have told your story
through all the gyration that were required. The leaving of several
actors were obvious example, but clearly there have been many others.

Sometime would you consider writing down the full story of the
evolutionary process of the arc from beginning to end as one story?

I have wanted to ask this question for probably 4 years, but I wanted
to wait for the right time. Obviously, it would be inappropriate to
ask this question until you had told the full story without
interruption. That means to me that talking through the full arc story
should not be done until Sleeping in the Light has been shown.

By the same token you have made it clear that after SitL, you will
drop mostly out of sight. 

Perhaps sometime between now and then you could write the details of
the evolution of the arc down in one piece. Something that says
"Originally the arc was going to..." but when X, Y or Z happened we
used this different solution. I suspect there is some interesting
stuff changed between Sinclair and Sheridan, but I am not sure.

I suppose I am less interested in the why than the how. Why Michael
left is less interesting than how the arch was modified to accommodate
it. Perhaps talk about some of the branches that you never needed
might be interesting. A section on if Mira (or any given actor) had
left at the end of season X, here is what would have changed could be
fun. 

Obviously this could become a massive work if you went through all of
the permutations, but perhaps you could talk about the original arc
and a few permutations.

You don't need to post it here. You can stash it away and unveil it
later. You could use it as a stand-alone article or as an appendix for
a book. I don't know where you would distribute it, but I would love
the hear the full story of the evolution of the arc. That is the
process question that fascinates me the most.

My suspicion is that if you don't do it in the next few months, you
may never do it, and that would be a great loss.

					-- Thanks, Phil

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 26 May 1998 10:09:13 -0600
Lines: 8

Eventually I may do a book about the whole making of the show in general...but
it's going to have to wait quite a while....

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
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