#jmstraczynski

[sepdet]

Why Authors Can't Read Our Fanfic

It's something we learn sooner or later... sometimes not soon enough. 😔

Most authors, including @neil-gaiman and @dduane , ask us not to link them to fanfic.

They don't consent. They said no. That should be enough.

But why? I thought it might be useful to share some examples of Never Do This.

The one I remember is a stunningly good Babylon 5 episode, "Passing Through Gethsemane," about all the different rational, irrational, selfless and xenophobic ways communities on a large space station can respond to a deadly epidemic (lolsob).

Before the WWW, B5's creator JMStraczynski was pretty unique in interacting with fans on the old fan usenet discussion forums. He'd asked fans not to share story ideas with him, but someone said, "what if a plague hit the space station?" after that episode was already in development.

That 1994 episode had to be shelved for a year until they could track down the fan IRL and get a legal disclaimer signed that satisfied not just the production team, the fan, and JMS, but also Warner Bros' lawyers that there was no chance that producing the episode would come back and bite them with a lawsuit. Authors would have the same problem with their publisher's lawyers, even if they themselves trust their fans. It's not personal; it's a legal CYA thing.

In days of Yore when I was still a kid, there was some legendary incident with Marion Zimmer Bradley, who used to curate and publish fanfiction anthologies set in her Darkover universe.

Bradley read something in a fan story that meshed well with a Darkover book she was currently writing, so she wrote the fan author, Jean Lamb, offering her "a sum and a dedication for all rights to the text." In a 1991 Usenet post, Jean continued, "I attempted at that point to _very politely_ negotiate a better deal. I was told that I had better take what I was offered, that much better authors than I had not been paid as much (we're talking a few hundred dollars here) and had gotten the same sort of 'credit' (this was in the summer of 1992)...a few months later I received a letter from Ms. Bradley's lawyer threatening me with a suit."[52] After Bradley's death, more information has come out supporting the fan's story.[53] The rumor, however, was that Bradley had a skirmish with a fan who claimed authorship of a book identical to one Bradley had published and accused Bradley of "stealing" the idea, and the resultant lawsuit cost Bradley a book. Either way, her attorney advised her against reading fan fiction of her work.

I heard the rumor summarized in the Wikipedia entry above, and that it was the reason many authors avoided looking at fan works or suggestions.

TL;DR: Authors don't want to be accused of, or sued for, stealing ideas. They also don't want to do the thing where you subconsciously pick up an idea from something you've read, and don't realize it!

Does anyone remember any other incidents? I know there were others, but my brain is cheese. (I don't want to get into judgements or taking sides — you'll notice I've tiptoed around one rather large elephant— I'm trying to stick to topic, for once,)

[deviantfunbiz]

NEW ARRIVAL - BIG BOOK AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY J. MICHAEL STRACZINSKI OMNIBUS VOL 1 https://www.deviantfun.biz/comics/en/comics/14057-amazing-spider-man-omnibus-vol-1-9781302945442.html Acclaimed screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski begins a run that established him as one of the all-time Spidey greats — joined by the legendary John Romita Jr.! And they kick things off by introducing an enigmatic stranger with a startling secret about Spider-Man’s origin! Wrestling with his separation from Mary Jane, Peter goes back to his roots with a new job — science teacher at his old school! But how will Aunt May react when she learns that Peter is really Spider-Man?! Plus: Spidey battles Doctor Octopus, Morlun, Dormammu and more, and teams up with Doctor Strange, Captain America and — Loki?! And as Spidey copes with the horror of 9/11 and relives his heroic career, shocking sins of the past catch up with the wallcrawler! COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1999) 30-58, 500-514, 509 Director's Cut comicbooks #comic #deviantfun #comicbookshop #shopineurope #graphicnovel #marvel #marvelcomics #amazingspiderman #marvelomnibus #jmstraczynski https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg9pzv2Mc65/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[arpenteurdepages]

Nous ne pouvions pas prévoir ça ni l’empêcher. Personne n’aurait pu. Mais nous sommes là. A vos côtés. Aujourd’hui. Demain. Et pour toujours. Nous sommes à vos côtés quand votre bras frappe au nom de la justice et que vous espérez qu’en sortira la sagesse. Nous sommes à vos côtés dans la prise de conscience qui s’opère. Dans la voix qui dit que dans toute guerre il y a des innocents. La voix qui dit que vous êtes un peuple bon et plein de clémence. La voix qui dit ne faites pas comme eux, ou la guerre est perdue avant d’avoir commencé. Ne laissez pas le sang emporter cette sagesse. Quoi que vous fassiez, où que vous alliez, où que vous soyez, nous sommes à vos côtés. Parce que l’avenir appartient aux hommes et femmes ordinaires, parce que ça ne doit plus jamais arriver et qu’il faut se battre pour que l’avenir soit plus pur. Parce qu’il faut envoyer un message à ceux qui confondent compassion et faiblesse. Un message qui doit traverser six mille ans de lutte et de sang. Et ce message est le suivant : Au-delà de notre passé, des origines de nos noms, nous sommes un peuple respectable qui ne courbe pas l’échine ni ne renonce. Le feu qui brûle en nous ne peut être éteint par les bombes ou par les morts. On ne nous forcera pas au silence et nous émergerons des larmes.

J.M. Straczynski

[futurelandia]

Caught a trailer for Sense8, a new series being promoted all over the place.

Here is exactly everything I needed to know before I bought-in completely:

J. Michael Straczynski +  Andy Wachowski + Lana Wachowski.

That is all. 

[deviantfunbiz]

NEW ARRIVALS - BIG BOOKS Afraid you'd lost the chance to get Aliens Omni 1? So did we! So great to have it back in the store next to its siblings. As for the other books, no surprises there: they were recently launched/reprinted so, just a lot of satisfaction to see them fattening our shelves. That Thor omni sure is a shelf tester! comicbooks #comic #deviantfun #comicbookshop #shopineurope #graphicnovel #marvel #marvelcomics #marvelomnibus #mattfraction #fallofthemutants #spidermancomics #jmstraczynski #alienscomics https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg6_2VHs4lV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mikedeodatojr]

Repost from @mtgixxi @TopRankRepost #TopRankRepost - Sins Past J. M. Straczynski Mike Deodato Jr. 2004 #jmstraczynski #mikedeodatojr #acting #robertdeniro #marvel #marvelcomics #comics #theamazingspiderman #spiderman #petermj

[arpenteurdepages]

Tous les gosses sont potentiellement cruels lorsqu'ils savent qu'ils ont un avantage sur un autre.

Le “Poète” dans Rising Stars de Joe Michael STRACZYNSKI, Delcourt 2012.

Traduction Stéphane Deschamps & Alex Racunica