I'm responding to this here because this individual ALSO sent me the note
quoted here using my email account.

>How about a one or half season series about valen and the shadow war a 1000
>years ago.
>Valen could come into the series after a 1 or 2 episodes, after wee see how
>the minbari were left with no central HQ.

I'm responding to this here because it seems no matter how many times I say it,
there's always Somebody Who Doesn't Get the Message.

How many times are we going to have to go through this?

1) DO NOT USE MY EMAIL FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN PERSONAL ITEMS THAT CANNOT BE
DISCUSSED ON THE NETS.

Do not COPY me on your public messages here, do not SEND me questions about how
fast the White Star can fly vs. the Enterprise, do NOT use my email to ask
about the frickin' DVDS, and

2) DO NOT SEND ME STORY IDEAS *EVER* FOR ANY REASON, ESPECIALLY IN EMAIL!

Understand that my being here is always a precarious compromise. If somebody
sends me a story idea, and it happens to be anywhere NEAR what I am thinking
about doing or might do in the future, it puts me at SUBSTANTIAL LEGAL RISK of
being sued.

Think it's an unnecessary concern? Ask Marion Zimmer Bradley, who lost a whole
NOVEL due to EXACTLY this sort of thing.

Because this has been posted here, you can be absolutely sure that I will now
not do ANYTHING like this, at ANY time.

Let me be plain: this crap endangers my ability to participate on ANY and ALL
net discussions. I've made only one really hard and fast rule, one request of
the fans: DO NOT DO THIS TO ME. Do not put me in this position.

Do NOT abuse the email privilege, and do NOT send me story ideas.

Because eventually, if it continues, I will have to withdraw totally from all
nets because it's not worth the legal danger, and it's not worth having to slog
through ten thousand emails asking me about B5 weapons systems and the like.
(And ever since the reruns began on SFC, I've been FLOODED with such emails.)

I apologize for having to be loud about this, but this really has to stop. If
necessary I'll close this email account and use only a private one.

There's a FAQ with this info. If you're on this newsgroup, and you haven't
read it, you should check it out, and save my blood pressure from going up a
notch or two.

Rant finished now. Returning to Nice Guy mode. Please adjust your chairs to
their upright and locked position.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
to reprint specifically denied to
SFX Magazine)

Thanks, I try.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
to reprint specifically denied to
SFX Magazine)

>You know what you don't share much though? The joys. Granted that writing
>is
>What You Do, you still seem to downplay your justifiable pride in your
>accomplishments and awards.
>

I don't know if it's a function of being of Eastern European extraction (or
distraction), but I guess I just never much dwell on those things. My brain is
always on the next challenge or the current problem.

When I'm waiting for a show to go, for instance, I'm worried...when the show
goes, I worry if we'll do it right...while we're doing it, I worry if we're
doing all we can...when we're done, I worry if we'll get a chance to do it
again.

And for all my posturing here, I'm actually both fairly private and kinda
modest in a weird sort of way...going on about accomplishments and awards
seems, I don't know, immodest or something. Too much "Hey, looka what *I*
did!"

>So what are you proudest of? What are the great moments in your career when
>you felt that you'd *really* accomplished something?
>

I got a letter once from a fan who told me that her friend had died of
aids...and that while he was fighting it, he'd had her transfer all of G'Kar's
speeches to audio tape...the real stem-winders, about refusing to surrender,
and the necessity of hope. He listened to them, every day, to help keep
going...and was listening to the tape the night he finally passed away.

One cannot hear that and remain unmoved, or fail to appreciate that the work
has Mattered.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
to reprint specifically denied to
SFX Magazine)