From: ph9991_manfr@rivers.acc.uwrf.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho
Subject: Re: Old DW Adventures...
Date: 18 Dec 92 11:12:10 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin - River Falls

In article <memo.816574@cix.compulink.co.uk>, jbyrne@cix.compulink.co.uk (Johnny Byrne) writes:
> In response to Phil Isherwood (and maybe some others)...
> 
> I should say that I was not really aware of the "New Adventures"
> concept.  In those tales where I used the concept and characters of
> earlier writers, I simply looked at what had gone before and took it
> from there. (There's a very detailed article in the current DW mag.
> which details the development of theTime Lords and Gallifrey - I
> received a complimentary copy because of my contribution to the 
> collective lore in "Arc Of Infinity".)
> 

This is the current DWM Special issue, just to ease any fears anyone with
a subscription might have: I can just see it: "I didn't get that one!"

> In cases where the characters are copyright to the writers a very
> different arrangement obtains.  Terry Nation and the Daleks is one
> instance.  Another would be Nyssa, a character whom I created.  To
> "create" a character then in the BBC, the writer simply had to repeat 
> their appearance in a new story.  JNT liked Nyssa and I fully
> profiled her *after* I had scripted "Traken".

Which goes to show you all JNT does have good taste.  :)
Ace similarly falls into this category; she is Ian Briggs' creation and
was another last-minute pick-up.

> 
> I was asked to write the novelisations of my three stories, but in
> each case I passed - I was too busy.  I wish I had written them,
> however, the chance to expand on the themes and dilemmas I touched on 
> in the stories, would have been very enjoyable. 

I agree.  I wish you had.  I think you have a very stron narrative style.
See below for another suggestion.

 The nature of good
> and evil (Traken), what constitutes humanity (Infinity) and the then
> horrors of accidental nuclear holocaust (Warriors) were very
> challenging topics, indeed.
> 

You'd also get the side benefit of getting to describe what you really
wanted the Myrka to look like and not having to endure Roger Limb's
very whiny score on "Arc of Infinity."  :)
Actually, despite some of the production problems on those two stories,
"Warriors" especially, I still like them a lot, due mainly to the good
scripts.  And each did have some good points about their production...


> Some UK contributors may know that I submitted, on request, a very
> detailed story treatment which took up the Traken theme.  It was
> called "Guardian Of Prophecy" and took place on Traken's twin (and
> originating ) world.  It involved an immortal villain who hadcreated
> the source and the story opens with his revival.  It also used the
> Melkurs in a much more detailed way.  But that was the time when Eric 
> and JNT were having problems and the story was, I think, a casualty
> of those events.

I read the short story version of this in DWM and was sad it hadn't been
done.  Perhaps (if you ever get time) you could think about adapting
this for the Seventh Doctor and writing one of the New Adventures based
on that story, fully fleshing it out.

And before anyone says "Hey, but Traken was destroyed in 'Logopolis!'"
I'll remind you that the Doctor has a time machine and this story does
look like it's in Traken's past.  

By the way Johnny, did you feel as wasted as I did when in "Logopolis"
Traken gets dissolved, negating all the events in the previous story?
Mind you, it was very effective to help "Logopolis" (the only time I
could ever actually believe the entire Universe could dissolve if they
don't stop things), but I've always wondered what you felt about that.


> 
> I may have forgotten to answer some of the points raised in Phil's
> posting, if so, I'll try and deal with them in a later comment.


Steven.K.Manfred