[B5JMS] ATTN JMS: What Would You Say To Galen?

b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu
Thu May 3 04:24:45 EDT 2001


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From: "Dr Nancy's Sweetie" <kilroy at copland.rowan.edu>
Date: 2 May 2001 12:49:23 -0700
Lines: 29


Sorry if somebody asked this already and I missed it.  In "The Path
of Sorrows", Galen says that he refuses to believe in any design or
higher purpose in the universe, because that would mean that someone
had determined that Isabelle deserved to die.  (Marcus once made a
similar remark, about how awful it would be if we deserved what
happened to us.)

But of course, there *is* a designer in Galen's universe: it's you.

You were the one who decided that Isabelle deserved to die, for
whatever inscrutable purposes you had.  Maybe "It just makes a better
story that way", or something.

Some writers speak as if their characters have some sort of separate
existence inside their heads; you did this once with a comment about
why Marcus doesn't have a link (he compared them to pagers and dog
collars).


So, I got to wondering: if you called up Galen, what explanation
would you give to him about why it was necessary for Isabelle to die?
What answer would he give in response?


Darren F Provine ! kilroy at copland.rowan.edu ! http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy
"Men travel faster now, but I do not know if they go to better things."
                                                       -- Willa Cather


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 2 May 2001 16:43:29 -0700
Lines: 15

>So, I got to wondering: if you called up Galen, what explanation
>would you give to him about why it was necessary for Isabelle to die?

Talk to my agent.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)







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