JMS on CompuServe (Jan 29, 1999) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* (1/5)
bbarrett at johndelenn.com
bbarrett at johndelenn.com
Sat Jan 30 01:06:28 EST 1999
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE
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Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #54951-A little bit of history
Sb: #55777-Babylon 5
Sb: #54781-B5 in Dec. Macworld mag
Sb: #55010-Cross Stitch
Sb: #56159-#Secondary Actors
Sb: #56884-#What's canon?
Sb: #57385-#Babylonian Productions
Sb: #57714-#Rising Stars
Sb: #57775-#Rising Stars
Sb: #57991-Rising Stars
Sb: #57890-#Rising Stars
Sb: #57959-#Rising Stars
Sb: #58140-#Rising Stars
Sb: #58196-#Rising Stars
Sb: #58108-Rising Stars
#: 55777 S2/Bab 5: General
31-Dec-98 11:37:05
Sb: #53820-#Babylon 5
Fm: BRIAN PROTHERO
Joe,
Thanks for bring us such a fantastic scifi series. I am looking forward to
the new series and movies.
Last year there was some discussion of possibly releasing B5 episodes / movies
on DVD. Does it look like this may ever happen?
Brian
#: 55815 S2/Bab 5: General
31-Dec-98 20:45:07
Sb: #55777-Babylon 5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I'm sure it'll happen eventually.
jms
** REMOVE **
[ Summary: From Macworld magazine:
"Bring Out Their Creative Side
You know, the best gifts are the ones you make yourself. So spend the
afternoon painting up a loved one's Power Mac G3 tower so it resembles
something out of Babylon 5.
Spray-painting a Mac case a different color isn't exactly a new idea, but
Rust-Oleum has come out with a new and wonderful line of paints, called
American Accents ($3 to $12, available at your local hardware store), that
throw on amazingly detailed patterns in one coat, from beaten copper to a
tight leopard skin to the distinctively deep mottled patterns signifying
the arrival of Vorlon Ambassador Kosh and his frustratingly vague
prophecies of doom." ]
#: 54921 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Dec-98 15:31:13
Sb: #54781-B5 in Dec. Macworld mag
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Coolness....
jms
[ Summary: How are the actors who play minor recurring characters,
such as Corwin, contracted? ]
#: 56223 S2/Bab 5: General
04-Jan-99 23:19:13
Sb: #56159-#Secondary Actors
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
You contract with an actor for 8, 13, 18 or 22 episodes. You then use
them for those episodes within a given period of time.
jms
[ Summary: "Which episodes/films/novels/comics/RPGs/etc are, in whole or
in part, canon?" ]
#: 57127 S2/Bab 5: General
10-Jan-99 23:02:06
Sb: #56884-#What's canon?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
That question would take me hours to answer...more of it is now than was
before, because I started to get more hands-on with it. Certainly the new
novels from Del Rey that I'm writing the outlines for are canonical, the
Drennan novel is nearly all canonical, much of the Cavelos novel is canon, and
so on.
jms
#: 57385 S2/Bab 5: General
13-Jan-99 09:37:02
Sb: #Babylonian Productions
Fm: MICHAEL J. KERSEY
I was just curious if Babylonian productions has been looking at producing any
outside (B5) projects or if it has been focusing just on "Crusade"?
(ie. They could do a great job on David Weber's "Honor Harrington" Series.)
#: 57540 S2/Bab 5: General
14-Jan-99 13:43:02
Sb: #57385-#Babylonian Productions
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It's all we can do to focus on one project at a time just now,
particularly at the launch of a new show.
jms
#: 57714 S2/Bab 5: General
16-Jan-99 04:20:03
Sb: #Rising Stars
Fm: FUGAZI
Joe,
I know, I haven't been around for a while, but I had to pop buy and ask you
this...
I'm intrigued about Rising Stars (Image Comics). Are you actually signed up
to write this for a while, or is this another case of Image signing up a cool
and popular writer for a new series, then getting their own writers in to
carry it on?
By the way... I know it's probably been said a million times around here, so
I'll be brief in saying, cool job on the end of B5. Loved it.
Cheers, Fug.
#: 57759 S2/Bab 5: General
16-Jan-99 20:59:09
Sb: #57714-#Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...no, the book is my own creation, a 24 issue miniseries, and
I'll be writing all 24 of them. Issues 1, 0 and the Preview Issue script are
all in, and they're planning to make it their main big event for the year.
jms
#: 57775 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jan-99 09:34:14
Sb: #57759-#Rising Stars
Fm: FUGAZI
Yeah, they're certainly pumping some money into advertising it. I'm currently
trying to find a shop that hasn't got it's full allocation of free Wizard
retailer exclusive alternate issue #0s booked out to various people.
I got my Previews late this month thanks to Royal Mail and everyone seems to
have got in before me. <sigh>
But I have got a preview edition and a copy of Wizard's "Fathom and the Top
Cow Universe" for the free issue #0 off there on order.
Do you have any idea what the planned release date will be for issue #1?
Glad to hear you're writing the full series though, I was gutted when Image
got Garth Ennis to write the first few Darkness then moved him out for their
own writer.
Cheers, Fug.
#: 57846 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jan-99 22:33:04
Sb: #57775-#Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think #1 is slated for May or June.
Because the Wizard Top Cow issue is coming out a month sooner than they
had anticipated, apparently the 0 issue will have the Preview script, and the
Preview issue will have the 0 script, 'cause it's essential that the Preview
come out first, one way or another.
jms
[ Summary: A non-comic fan asks for clarification of the Top Cow stuff. ]
#: 58029 S2/Bab 5: General
19-Jan-99 16:02:03
Sb: #57991-Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The Top Cow/Wizard issue will have the script for the preview issue,
which will be published as issue 0...and the book that will be published as
the preview will have the script for what would be issue 0...the thing is to
make sure that the various parts and pieces come out in the correct sequence.
They're both 16 pages, both similar in all the same production elements,
it's just the sequence of the story we're trying to make sure stay right.
jms
[ Summary: (See below.) ]
#: 57933 S2/Bab 5: General
18-Jan-99 17:30:10
Sb: #57890-#Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"Wow, you don't take too much time off, do you?"
Not since I was 17. That was when I started writing, at a level of 10
pages per day, and I haven't stopped running since.
jms
#: 57959 S2/Bab 5: General
18-Jan-99 23:22:06
Sb: #57933-#Rising Stars
Fm: CARL CANTARELLA
Joe,
Please don't take this the wrong way, but it almost sounds as though you're
afraid to stop writing even if only temporarily to take a break because maybe
you fear not being able to get back on the horse again or something. Pure
conjecture on my part of course, and granted, I have no way of knowing just
what's going through your head, but that's how your statement struck me. Maybe
I'm wrong, but too much of anything, even writing, can have dire consequences,
and you know what they say about addictions.
Didn't you tell me last year that after season five wrapped that you
were going to make more of an effort to take some time off and enjoy some of
the simpler things in life that you never have time for, such as watching a
sunrise or something?
Just my two cents from the gallery, so please go easy on me. I realize this is
a rather touchy matter since I'm touching on your own life's work of all
things.
And I am of course looking forward to "Crusade" just the same. ;)
#: 58027 S2/Bab 5: General
19-Jan-99 16:02:03
Sb: #57959-#Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, for me it's never a problem as far as the writing goes. It's
usually all the OTHER stuff that makes me nuts...the dealing with studios and
networks and suits and the like. The writing is the reward for dealing with
the rest. In particular as far as RISING STARS goes...this is a form that is
still fairly new to me, so it's an ongoing learning experience, and that's
great, it uses parts of the brain that don't normally get used in this way.
I don't think you can ever get burned out on something you love doing.
jms
#: 58140 S2/Bab 5: General
21-Jan-99 16:36:12
Sb: #58027-#Rising Stars
Fm: CARL CANTARELLA
>>No, for me it's never a problem as far as the writing goes. It's usually
all the OTHER stuff that makes me nuts...the dealing with studios and networks
and suits and the like. The writing is the reward for dealing with the rest.
In particular as far as RISING STARS goes...this is a form that is still
fairly new to me, so it's an ongoing learning experience, and that's great, it
uses parts of the brain that don't normally get used in this way.<<
Joe,
Will we be able to purchase RISING STARS online once it gets released?
Will it be available through the Emporium perhaps?
>> I don't think you can ever get burned out on something you love doing.<<
Hell, I wish I had a tenth of your ambition and initiative for
writing. I've dabbled in writing, but that's it, just dabbled. I've written
some scripts, but I lack the drive and determination necessary to make a
career out of it, and it doesn't help knowing how the deck is stacked against
unpublished writers, be it for books, television or the big screen. Knowing
the reality of the business makes it even harder to pursue, at least from
where I'm sitting anyway. I realize I'm a cynic by nature, which sure doesn't
help matters, but perhaps you've heard the saying that "a writers life is one
of rejection" because of all the pink slip rejections which are inevitable.
Those that make it and are successful are a very small minority, and they're
very fortunate. I realize talent has a lot to do with it also and that it's
important of course, but geez, talk about an uphill battle.
Anyway, thanks for your response. I enjoyed reading your message.
#: 58165 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jan-99 00:40:08
Sb: #58140-#Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
What you have to remember is that at one time or another, with the rare
exception of celebrities, every published novelist was an unknown, unpublished
novelist...every screenwriter or television writer was an unknown, untested
writer. I came to LA with no friends or contacts in the industry. I came out
of the streets of New Jersey and elsewhere, sans silver spoon in mouth.
The work, and the quality of the work, is what ultimately makes the
difference, if you're willing to stay with it and if the qualitiy is, in fact,
there. I'm an annoying person; I'm a perfectionist; I'm cranky and far from
politic. By all rights I should be hard-core unemployable; I've always been
this way. And I've always worked. Because when the moment comes to put black
marks down on a white sheet of paper...I do it fairly well.
jms
#: 58196 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jan-99 14:43:11
Sb: #58165-#Rising Stars
Fm: GRAHAM SMITH
>>The work, and the quality of the work, is what ultimately makes the
difference, if you're willing to stay with it and if the qualitiy is, in fact,
there.<<
This is not the first time I have heard that. A fellow I know (Axel Madsen)
has been writing for years. He lived here in the Pennsylvania area for many
of those years, but used to commute to LA from time to time to do screen
plays. A few years ago he moved back to LA full time.
He told me one time about the amount of work he has done that has never seen
the light of day. He has written and published books and had success with
screen plays, to be sure, but he has also sold a lot of books and screen plays
that have never been printed or made into films. They just sit in a cabinet
someplace.
It's his feeling that if all the works he had sold were published or filmed,
he'd be famous by now. As it is, he's just another working writer. And while
that's not bad, it could always be better.
--Graham
#: 58285 S2/Bab 5: General
23-Jan-99 18:15:12
Sb: #58196-#Rising Stars
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yeah...it's always a mug's game. I've been fairly lucky that way; I'd
say that about 80% of what I've written has been either published or produced.
The one area where things have sold or been optioned but never produced has
been in the area of non-TV movie screenplays. I guess it's in part because my
heart isn't in it as much as television, and because the stories I tend to do
in screenplay form tend to be little character stories, which are fun, but not
big smash'up adventures, which seems like all they're buying these days.
jms
[ Continued in next section -- BB ]
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