Wiscon: Saturday

Arrived late Friday night, in time for one session, a group discussion on "Academics and Fans: Bringing Them Together." Much talk on why fans distrust academic writing on SF: they don't take it seriously as literature and write as if they're slumming, or as cultural anthropologists studying a curious tribe; or they do take it seriously and write impenetrable gibberish. But it's also acknowledged that we are, as I put it, "the rats in the walls" - many fans are themselves academics and write about SF both seriously and comprehensibly. Also some talk about marketing academic program items to a fannish audience: Mythcon experience came in usefully here.

On Saturday, three panels and a Tiptree bake sale. (Chocolate chip cookies with chunks of bacon in them, would you believe?) First panel, "Defining God." A lot of the usual. One panelist intent on describing the universe by information theory made the category error of saying that God, if existent, would have to be part of the universe being described. Discussion of the theory that the tendency to believe in an ordered universe and a supreme being is hardwired into the human brain. (marykaykare: "Not mine.")
Apparently an unspoken assumption that this analysis is evidence against the existence of God. Wonder if it ever occurred to the panelists that it might be evidence in favor, instead. I mean, also hardwired into the human brain is the desire to put foreign objects in one's mouth, and chew and swallow them, which is an awfully weird thing to do, objectively considered, but which does serve a useful purpose. (And yes, there are a few people who lack that hard-wiring too.)

Next, "Here's Where the Story Ends." How to write endings, where should the story end anyway. Supposedly a panel in the "Craft & Business of Writing SF" track, it was not at all an evidentiary "Here's how I done it good" panel but a solid consideration of both theoretical and practical considerations both from the writer's and reader's standpoint. A model for this kind of panel. Maureen McHugh, asked about her own (problematic, in some readers' views) endings, pointed out that her needs as a writer may differ from her desires as a reader. Some discussion of the role of episodes in arc storytelling.
Wish there was more, but that'd be a different panel. There's a marked reading (or viewing) difference between taking the new episodes one by one, as they're released, and viewing them all in a chunk later (e.g. the DVD of a TV series season). The later takes the emphasis off the episodes and puts it on the arc, which can be a wayward form of storytelling. (A lot of the Big Changes on BTVS were undone very quickly: Buffy ran off to LA! No, she's back. Giles is fired by the Council! No, he's back. Angel is damned to hell! No, he's back.)

Last, "What Can't We Forgive?" Masterminded by imnotandrei, who wanted a forum to express his burning resentment against RAH, OSC, and other authors whom he once loved but now considers offensive and manipulative. Panelists and audience testified to their loathing of these and other authors, Anne McC. and Spider R. also being frequently mentioned.
Thought ironically about the worshipful respect held for these authors in certain wider SF circles, and the incredulity these people would feel at being told of an entire panel at a regular SF con at which the default assumption would be dislike. I mean, I once read testimony that not only did the speaker love Ender's Game, he couldn't imagine anyone who wouldn't.
Thought about things I find unforgivable in SF. High among them, political debates consisting of one person pontificating while the antagonist either sputters "But ... but ..." ineffectually or chimes in with "Gee, I never thought of that." (Spider R., "Melancholy Elephants.") Also, books not written in English. With all the other reasons to dislike RAH, I still have to add the pseudo-Russian dialect of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which drove me up the wall and rendered the book unreadable. I won't even talk about Riddley Walker or Feersum Endjinn.

Also elsewhen at the con: Found davidlevine's collection, at last. Ate breakfast by browsing my way through the free cheese samples at the farmer's market, lacking either the ability to eat an entire block of cheese at one sitting or a refrigerated place to store it. Also grazed (with paying) on bison, venison, and ostrich jerky: ostrich by far the weirdest. For dinner, a "Wisconsin hamburger" with a slice of braunschweiger on top: also weird. Parties packed into a tightly congregated party hell: didn't stay long. Walked to favorite local classical CD store, but found nothing more that I wanted than a collection of Henk Badings symphonies for $13, which was several $ more than I was interested in it.