What happened in the DS9 interregnum?

[Christopher]

consider this - when the DS9R was still ongoing, and The Soul Key still either before publication or just recently published, do you think it's plausible (not if it's possible), that TPTB had *no* plan / idea / direction as to where the DS9R story goes, as far as the Ascendants arc is concerned?

Furthermore, I find it's perfectly plausible that one of our esteemed authors had already submitted such an outline, or that TPTB have already sent out requests for such submissions.

Marco Palmieri presumably had a broad-strokes plan for what would happen with the Ascendants, but as I understand it, he let the authors themselves come up with most of the specifics and was open to having the plans evolve and change in repsonse to the new ideas the authors brought in. Marco was laid off eight months before The Soul Key came out, so his focus at the time would've been on getting that book edited along with The Never-Ending Sacrifice. Given the timing, it's possible that he might've solicited an author for the next book in the series, but not certain.

(And he wouldn't have sent out requests for submissions, but would've more likely handpicked an author and worked with them to develop the next novel.)

 

[RonG]

consider this - when the DS9R was still ongoing, and The Soul Key still either before publication or just recently published, do you think it's plausible (not if it's possible), that TPTB had *no* plan / idea / direction as to where the DS9R story goes, as far as the Ascendants arc is concerned?

Furthermore, I find it's perfectly plausible that one of our esteemed authors had already submitted such an outline, or that TPTB have already sent out requests for such submissions.

Marco Palmieri presumably had a broad-strokes plan for what would happen with the Ascendants, but as I understand it, he let the authors themselves come up with most of the specifics and was open to having the plans evolve and change in repsonse to the new ideas the authors brought in. Marco was laid off eight months before The Soul Key came out, so his focus at the time would've been on getting that book edited along with The Never-Ending Sacrifice. Given the timing, it's possible that he might've solicited an author for the next book in the series, but not certain.

(And he wouldn't have sent out requests for submissions, but would've more likely handpicked an author and worked with them to develop the next novel.)

Makes one wonder.. perhaps the finale to the Ascendants storyline (and DS9's "season 9") is just sitting there, waiting to be unearthed.

Perhaps *you* have it in your hands right now, eh Christopher?

 

[Sci]

consider this - when the DS9R was still ongoing, and The Soul Key still either before publication or just recently published, do you think it's plausible (not if it's possible), that TPTB had *no* plan / idea / direction as to where the DS9R story goes, as far as the Ascendants arc is concerned?

Furthermore, I find it's perfectly plausible that one of our esteemed authors had already submitted such an outline, or that TPTB have already sent out requests for such submissions.

Marco Palmieri presumably had a broad-strokes plan for what would happen with the Ascendants, but as I understand it, he let the authors themselves come up with most of the specifics and was open to having the plans evolve and change in repsonse to the new ideas the authors brought in. Marco was laid off eight months before The Soul Key came out, so his focus at the time would've been on getting that book edited along with The Never-Ending Sacrifice. Given the timing, it's possible that he might've solicited an author for the next book in the series, but not certain.

(And he wouldn't have sent out requests for submissions, but would've more likely handpicked an author and worked with them to develop the next novel.)

Makes one wonder.. perhaps the finale to the Ascendants storyline (and DS9's "season 9") is just sitting there, waiting to be unearthed.

Perhaps *you* have it in your hands right now, eh Christopher?

Erm, I think Christopher just put together a fairly comprehensive post on how "the finale" doesn't actually exist, and how Marco only had some very broad strokes ideas for it that weren't set in stone. Or writing.

 

[RonG]

Marco Palmieri presumably had a broad-strokes plan for what would happen with the Ascendants, but as I understand it, he let the authors themselves come up with most of the specifics and was open to having the plans evolve and change in repsonse to the new ideas the authors brought in. Marco was laid off eight months before The Soul Key came out, so his focus at the time would've been on getting that book edited along with The Never-Ending Sacrifice. Given the timing, it's possible that he might've solicited an author for the next book in the series, but not certain.

(And he wouldn't have sent out requests for submissions, but would've more likely handpicked an author and worked with them to develop the next novel.)

Makes one wonder.. perhaps the finale to the Ascendants storyline (and DS9's "season 9") is just sitting there, waiting to be unearthed.

Perhaps *you* have it in your hands right now, eh Christopher?

Erm, I think Christopher just put together a fairly comprehensive post on how "the finale" doesn't actually exist, and how Marco only had some very broad strokes ideas for it that weren't set in stone. Or writing.

Well, I meant the outline, or basic idea - from which an already-classic DS9R novel can take form

 

[Christopher]

Makes one wonder.. perhaps the finale to the Ascendants storyline (and DS9's "season 9") is just sitting there, waiting to be unearthed.

Perhaps *you* have it in your hands right now, eh Christopher?

No, I was never invited to participate in the DS9 novels. And I never sought it out either. I like DS9, but I found all that tight, interconnected continuity a bit intimidating, since any attempt I made to come up with a story idea would probably be rendered untenable by plans that were already in the works. (I had the same experience trying to pitch for the show, which is why I only did it once.)

And as I said, Marco had the broad-strokes ideas in mind, but he let the authors come up with the specifics. I doubt he already had an author under contract for the next novel after The Soul Key (and TNES), since if the author had been contracted for the book, then Pocket would've gone ahead and published it. (Unless they fulfilled the contract by assigning the author to a different book.) But if he had, then I doubt very much that that novel would've been the finale to the Ascendant arc -- at most, it would've been the book that began that arc in earnest.

Some fans have this notion that all the novels are plotted out in detail years in advance. That's just not how it works. The books are generally planned out a year at a time, and any long-term plans are rough, tentative, and subject to being changed or discarded if an author comes up with an idea that sends things veering in another direction.

 

[RonG]

Christopher, how dare you use logical statements and facts when answering a question!

Kidding, of course - thanks for the insights

 

[DonIago]

Hm. If Soul Key and Never-Ending Sacrifice really were being edited at the same time, I wonder whether the events of NES were intended to tie into the larger arc in some manner rather than being a (very good) largely standalone book.

 

[Jarvisimo]

Hm. If Soul Key and Never-Ending Sacrifice really were being edited at the same time, I wonder whether the events of NES were intended to tie into the larger arc in some manner rather than being a (very good) largely standalone book.

I hope not, I think that book is beautiful for its isolation, for its wonderful (in)completeness too.

 

[Cybersnark]

Though I certainly wouldn't mind seeing Rugal pop up again in future books.

any long-term plans are rough, tentative, and subject to being changed or discarded if an author comes up with an idea that sends things veering in another direction.

Much like real life, come to that.