And Justice For All

[Jeikor]

Hell YEA I liked this story BUT I got to find out how you get the C5 off the aircraft carrier

 

 

LOL!  You'll have to read the next chapter of Dawn's Early Light to find out.  I will say this much though.  as far how they get it off the carrier?  VERY CAREFULLY!  LOL

No big deal! After he has rested and eaten a whale Jamie will just lift it and walk off with it. LOL        

[Mark C.]

Eric, I forgot to mention the tattered flag but because I did not think of it as a "picture". I thought it would be at the beginning of each chapter so figured it was more or less a "pictorial logo" of both the story and the Universe. And yes, it evoked strong emotion in me... Sad to see a beloved emblem that way but knowing when all is finished, it will be whole and new again.

[Al Norris]

(pssst! Mark? - ya know... I can remove all the pics, except that last one, and put that flag at the beginning of every chapter!)

 

(nobody but us will ever know... Authors never go back and reread their stories. heh heh)

[Mark C.]

(Alan, I like your idea! But don't let the authors see your or my post so they stay in the dark. We don't want them to know the score...)

[Wolfhighlander]

Wha.....?  Was someone saying something?   No?  Okay, I guess I'll go find something to read

[David McLeod]

A critical job of an author of fiction is to ensure the reader can “suspend disbelief.” The more fantastical is the piece; the harder this task. Authors of Revolutions Universe stories ask us to believe in human-animal hybrids, clones with super powers, children with training and maturity that exceeds that of most adults, multiple dimensions, advanced technology, and a myriad other concepts. And they do an excellent job. The most recent story, “And Justice for All,” continues this excellence.

 

I’m a pilot with more than 2,000 logged hours—about half in the Huey, the other half in various fixed wing. If I had been asked if it were possible to write the penultimate scene of “And Justice for All” in a way that would allow the reader to suspend disbelief, I would have said it couldn’t be done. Yet these three authors pulled it off. I won’t say what the scene was, so not to spoil the story for people who haven’t yet read it. I will say that if you haven’t read it, you’re missing something truly amazing.

[Al Norris]

Thank you David.

 

Those are high words of praise. No doubt that you know the amount of research that went into the making of that scene. So, it is a pleasure to hear that it was done well.

[ken barber]

Hell YEA I liked this story BUT I got to find out how you get the C5 off the aircraft carrier

 

We will be happy to tell you all about when how when we finished writing and was like cheering and then one of us asked "Hey how do we get that thing off" then hours of plans and discussion ensued. We can talk about that on Sunday during the chat.

A critical job of an author of fiction is to ensure the reader can “suspend disbelief.” The more fantastical is the piece; the harder this task. Authors of Revolutions Universe stories ask us to believe in human-animal hybrids, clones with super powers, children with training and maturity that exceeds that of most adults, multiple dimensions, advanced technology, and a myriad other concepts. And they do an excellent job. The most recent story, “And Justice for All,” continues this excellence.

 

I’m a pilot with more than 2,000 logged hours—about half in the Huey, the other half in various fixed wing. If I had been asked if it were possible to write the penultimate scene of “And Justice for All” in a way that would allow the reader to suspend disbelief, I would have said it couldn’t be done. Yet these three authors pulled it off. I won’t say what the scene was, so not to spoil the story for people who haven’t yet read it. I will say that if you haven’t read it, you’re missing something truly amazing.

David,

Wow thank you so much for saying that. That final scene took us weeks to develop and we still question it. It was a leap that is for sure and for someone who writes stories based on realism the scene scared the bejesus out of me. We spent weeks researching and studying different aircraft prototypes and tests. We made calculations and more calculations and finally decided we had it but would the readers willingly suspend their disbelief long enough for them accept it. Thank you for confirming that for us. ''

 

"And Justice For All" is by far the most complex piece I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. There is another thread asking if anyone can tell who wrote what parts, and I must warn everyone its a little more complex than that. Each scene had a "lead" author that was basically writing it but all three of us have our finger prints all over ever scene, every paragraph, every line, every word. Roland and Eric were both absolutely amazing to work with. I cannot express enough the pleasure I derived from working with two really fantastic authors. In my opinion my work pales in comparison to the complexities they can pull out of words on a page, it truly was an honor to work side by side with them and am hoping I kept up enough for them to invite me into future projects........Oh wait they already did......Who wants to go to Disney World?

 

I also want to thank our Researchers and helpers Alan and Jon, they down play their role but they were crucial to applying the glue to the story. They questioned us at all the right times and encouraged us at all the wrong times LOL. With out Alan and Jon this story would still be sitting in the our heads as a non workable idea.

 

And since I am on a thank you kick... The editors, proofreaders, beta readers, etc. Mary, Randy, Scott and the RU Staff, holy crap I have never scene a more intensive edit process, you guys where all over the top of each other and from my perspective it was like watching clock work. You guys deserve a huge round of applause.Thank you

 

 

[Wolfhighlander]

Hey Ken, you let the cat out of the bag or is it the mouse.  Pay no attention to the snowman from the northeast.  <swings a shiny pocket watch and speaks in a soothing voice>  You did not hear anything about Disney World......You did not hear anything about Disney World......You did not hear anything about Disney World.  <checks the audience and smiles in satisfaction>   Good, now where were we?

[denis_p]

....  Good, now where were we?

 

Thinking 'about Disney World'...  

[Emperor Roland]

Hey all!  Jon Dom asked me to share this all with you!

 

 

A brief history of the mini-series “And Justice For All.”

 

I am going to do something that is contrary to my nature. I'm going to step out of the deep shadows, in the behind the scenes world, of the Revolutions Universe. We are about to unveil a story that, for us, is a unique experience in collaborative writing.

 

At 4:45pm, EST, on Sunday, February 1^st, 2015, we are going to have a “Final Wrap up Chat” with many of the key people involved in the production of this mini-series. And you are invited to that live chat, and ask questions, not only of the authors, but the editing and research staff, involved in getting this story to you. In preparation for that meeting, I'd like to share with you, a brief look into what went into the creation of “And Justice for All.”

 

Exactly when the first glimmer of an idea for a story, that would become a mini-series, is probably lost forever. To the best of my recollection, my involvement actually began in mid June, 2014, when I got a phone call from the dark wizard himself, Roland. It was all so innocent. All he wanted to do was bounce around a few ideas for a scene he had in mind. About ten minutes into the call when out of the blue he blurted out, “They're gonna steal Air Force One! I gotta call Kyle...” click. I'd like to tell you that abrupt endings to conversations like this were rare, but in fact, they are quite common.

 

Then, in late July, I started hearing rumors about something called SCOTUS, which turned out to mean the “Supreme Court of the United States,” and that they needed to be rescued. To be honest, there was so much else going on in the RU, with authors producing chapters at an incredible rate, that I hardly took notice.

 

In late August, Roland casually mentioned that he had something for me to look at, and wanted to know what I thought. That something, was the first draft of all nine chapters of “And Justice for All.” I was not the first to see it, and I would be far from the last. I was blown away by the complexity, and richness, of this new story, written by Eric Aune, Ken Barber and Roland. But, they had done the easy part. LOL

 

Now the real work would begin, and it turned into five months of of constant work by the entire staff of the RU, who were dedicated to working with the authors to polish the story until it was the best story we could make it. That process was finished just barely in time to meet the publication deadline. I'm going to leave it to the authors to tell you their part, on what they had to do, to work together, to produce the story. And they will do that during the Live Wrap-up Chat on the 1^st of February.

 

What many readers do not realize is just how extensive the editing process is in the RU. Many assume that the editor makes sure that things like grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct., and we do have that type of editor on our staff. We call them “Copy Editors.” However, it is rather more complex when writing in a Universe, where many different authors are contributing to the whole. That requires a number of different editors, with unique skills and responsibilities, to make sure every scene, of every story, works together as a whole. Not one single chapter in the RU, has been published since March, 2013, without going through the entire process.

 

The first step is usually done by an editor that specializes in making sure every scene is consistent with the vision of those that created the Revolutions Universe. Then they work with the Author(s) to do what is needed to make sure it is correct. If the events in the story are central to the development of the Universe as a whole, a time-line is constructed to ensure that any other story that touches on those events are in agreement. Another way to think of the time-line is to view it as the “Screen Play” of a movie which the director uses to tell the story, in the order it happened, and not necessarily in the order it was written.

 

In this mini-series, an extraordinary step was taken. Every author and staff member in the RU, was given access to the story at this point, and their thoughts, comments and and/or insights on the story, were solicited. I do not know of anyone that did not participate in this step right up to the point it was time for the Final Review just before it was posted.

 

Next the story is passed to the Content Editor. Their job is to make sure that a character does not end up in two places at once, and that every military rank, weapon type, aircraft type, etc. is correct and used properly. In addition they create a spreadsheet record, scene by scene recording every pertinent action and description is accurate, and not in conflict with any other story in the Universe. This includes details, like making sure that any mention of clothing, eye and hair colors match up whenever they are occur. This spreadsheet is often used by the authors as they are writing. Again the Continuity Editor works with the Author(s) to resolve any issues they find.

 

Next the copy went through two separate Copy Editors. Each is looking at not only the grammatical aspects, but at issues relating to readability, and working with the Author to help clarify his or her meaning. We learned early on that two sets of eyes are much better than just one. In fact even though it is not their job as such, the Continuity and Content Editors also point out things they notice while doing their job.

 

Five exhausting months later, three red eyed authors must decide whether or not the story meets their standards for a story well told. If they do, it goes to a panel of senior staff members for final review and posting for the readers to enjoy. If it does not... well, there is a new rewrite, and the story renters the system again.

 

But, we are not really done yet. Every last one of us is holding our breath, waiting on how you, the reader will receive the story. Your comments and reactions here in the forum or sent by email is taken into account as we look for better ways to improve your reading experience. That is why we really do invite you to join us in the “Final Wrap-up Live Chat,” at 4:45 pm, on Sunday the 1^st of February, 2015! Hope to see you there!

[Wolfhighlander]

Dagnabbit Denis.  I need to get a new watch

[NiteOwl13]

Here's a question that is on all of our minds: Did the pictures we placed in each chapter, enhance the story? Did they detract from the Story?

We would really like your opinion on this, as it will help to guide us on future projects.

For me I just flip pass the pictures I like to read more then watching a movie 10+ hours reading 2 with the tv

[David McLeod]

Did the pictures we placed in each chapter, enhance the story? Did they detract from the Story?

 

Hmmm. This is David...I can't seem to get the cursor out of the quotation box. Damn Luddites! In answer to your question, I think the pictures added to the story. I especially liked Marine One landing, and the shot of the carrier "through" the landing gear.

[ken barber]

 

 

Not sure how I missed this post but the picture of the carrier through the landing gear has its own special story. That Picture was created by Ranger one of our edit staff and actually gave inspiration to the landing scene. We had kind of joked about landing the plane on the carrier and then we got ranger to do the picture and when we saw it, we all said. "Well shit, now we have to make it work."

[Wolfhighlander]

Yep, you should have heard the conversations as we figured out how much it weighed and how we could stop it in time before it sheared off part of the island.  A lot of interesting conversations.  Then we started talking about how we'd get it off the carrier.  Can we push it off or use a bunch of helos to pull it off.  Do we diassemble it and throw the pieces in the water.  Like I said interesting and fun conversations.

[Wyatt]

JFA is an amazing collaborative work, and I thank the authors and editors involved.  Of course, now I have to figure out how to get my mind out of this single story and back into the three component stories that fed into and follow it.  Plus the rest of the RU.

 

...

 

My brain hurts.  Is Will's concussion catching? 

[Wyatt]

Oh, concerning the pictures, I was happy they were there.  While they may not have been perfect, I felt they added to the text.  One unique image per chapter seemed the right number as well.

 

I liked the battleship image in chapter 8.  I didn't mind the graininess (especially since it is a night image), and indeed found it impactful.  Its width was a little wider than I normally have my browser window, but the text above and below still confined itself to my browser width.  So the only time I had to go a wider (maybe 80 pixels) was to view the whole image once I got to it.  Just checked, and see this image is 800 pixels wide, which is a reasonable number.  (Not like the 4000-pixel images a family member might innocently send you direct from their smartphone camera!)

[ken barber]

Wyatt, don't worry you only have to go back to each story for a few chapters before we bring you back together for another big project.

 

I am glad you enjoyed it. Writing it really was a labor of love.

[Wolfhighlander]

Thanks Wyatt, glad you liked it.

[Zach Caldwell]

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