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Conflux #4
Oct. 2nd, 2007 09:54 amAll is over till next year. Next year's Conflux will be in the October long weekend and chaired by Karen Herkes. You need to know that, because far too many people have complained in my direction that they ought to have come and really wanted to come, but didn't start planning early enough.
Working backwards chronologically, the current Conflux site will soon sport podcasts of all the important panels. I can be lazy and not give you the one-liners I have just found. Instead, you can hear them delivered in dulcet NZ, Singapore and Swedish tones. I'm talking about the "Australia from the POV of outsiders" panel, of course. If anyone else wants to suggest a really good panel for listeners to create their own Conflux with, the comments are open to suggestion*. If you listen to any panel with me in then you will need to provide your own chocolate.
I missed the dead dog party. I was going to turn into a pumpkin, but instead Emma and Aimee and I realised that food was essential to our well-being, as were books. We went looking for the tandoori chicken in naan that I've been recommending all weekend. On the way there I said that Canberra takeaway places all transmuted into Ali Baba's eventually, in some kind of localised alchemical reaction. Lo, the Indian takeaway had transmuted into an Ali Baba's, which was rather daft, as there's an Ali Baba's in the next block. We looked at other food places and wondered when they would transmute. While we were wondering, we raided Borders.
After Borders, we went to Sammy's, which had not only moved, but was shut. We gave up in despair and went to the nearest Chinese restaurant. It was not nearly as good as Sammy's, but it was open. For dessert we went to Koko Black, but it was shut. At this moment we realised the universe hated us. On the way back to the car we found our hot chocolate (and it was good, and it was overpriced) and we reconciled ourselves to the universe again. Hot chocolate does that.
Let it be known that I'm a really good tour guide, but totally lousy at navigating Canberra without a map. Emma drove and I theoretically nagivated and we tried to get Aimee to her bed and breakfast. I got us across the lake with no problem. The last mile and a half took fifteen minutes: it was very scenic. I knew the road in question, too. I had no excuse. Emma finally got us there.
The closing ceremony was wonderful (except for the bit where I got blamed for things - I asked very plaintively why people kept on blaming me, and everyone thought it was obvious). I won a horror DVD, which is good, because I was so busy at the Con I missed the film strand and I plan to let the horror DVD meet the chocolate fish in a couple of weeks time. It's a treat the committee really need. In fact, I would venture to say that they *desperately* need it. The ideal horror film to go with chocolate fish is the NZ sheep one, of course, but the one I won is a rather nice substitute.
I can't remember what happened yesterday morning. It's just too long ago. I didn't make anyone cry (not even Russell), which is the main thing. Oh, and I need to state clearly that I did *not* fall asleep during the panel on divination. I just closed my eyes and got kinda thoughtful.
The panel was really interesting, actually. The three members of it went through a range of divinatory techniques and they talked about the underlying assumptions. What I liked about it was the way they made it clear that world view is important to it. Mostly at SF conventions I have been to in the past, folks assume that strange people do this stuff and we need to understand it so we can write about it, but we don't need to really let it into our hearts. The panel pointed out how divination is part of personal development when used in a certain way and can give insights that are quite different to insights offered by a world view without that set of beliefs.
I liked this for two reasons. First of all, it was an important reminder that anyone with different beliefs to me is not a person with my beliefs with a strand of superficial difference on top. They genuinely see the world differently. This needs respect. Without that respect, we're living in a world populated entirely with copies of ourselves. This is a boring world.
One reason why people read fantasy is to find exciting new worlds. I think it's cool that some of those exciting new worlds are here, in the same room as me. Even if my eyes *are* closed.
There was another reason, wasn't there? I can't remember what it was, so I shall make it up.
If you apply this to fiction, it explains how the best fantasy novels work and why the less-than-best are shallow. The writers don't quite believe that what they're creating are realities. They reduce the effective agency of characters in their world by not accepting magic-users and the reality of divination for some people in this world.
I guess I believe that I don't know everything there is to know about the universe. I know I don't know, so I have a space in my mind for those who see reality operating differently to the way I see it. This opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities.
What's funny is that this comes from being Jewish. Jews accept that people can see and live the world differently and that the difference is valid, just not something for us (we do in theory, anyhow - there are Jewish folk who will argue against magic and other religions). What I was doing during the panel was thinking about how important it is to follow through logically and to accept that I don't have to have a firm belief in something for it to be real.
In other words, I'm not very important and my view is just my view. I blame Dawkins for this. He doesn't accept that reality is complex enough to permit multiple views.
Yes, I'm tired. That's why I lost the Conflux reporting and fell into thought. As I kept on explaining all weekend, the higher levels of my mind shut everything else out when I'm overtired, so the more exhausted I am the stranger the theories I expound.
I have consulted with Emma (who is sitting knitting furiously - she wants to finish her knitting before she goes home) and we have worked out the nature of Conflux. You know my theory that every convention has its certain style and core? Conflux has always been more a writers' convention than a fan one and this weekend everyone came out excited about projects. Emma noticed people deciding how to write their new joint novel. I got zillions of questions about background (and my standard answer is - I'll answer short questions, but anything longer takes up my income-earning capacity and yes, I charge for that). All the experienced novelists and editors were bombarded with questions and attentive listening. The workshop on e-marketing was in the deadzone (when we were all partied out - just before the closing ceremony) and yet it was full to capacity.
And that's almost it. Let me return you to where I started. Karen Herkes' daughter said to me as I was leaving "If my mother is the chair of Conflux 5, then I'm the stool."
* I was tired when I wrote this. That's my excuse for unfelicitous language, and I'm sticking to it. I am, however, not sticking to typos and am fixing the most egregious now. I'm also hoping that long words are a suitable form of apology. If they aren't, I can provide suitable four-letter ones.
PS Yes, Conflux had daleks and stormtroopers again. They didn't get into combat this time, though they attracted much attention by small children. The daleks enforced the three book limit during the mass signing. I tried to talk the stormtroopers into invading the Daikaiju 3 launch, but they didn't turn up.
Working backwards chronologically, the current Conflux site will soon sport podcasts of all the important panels. I can be lazy and not give you the one-liners I have just found. Instead, you can hear them delivered in dulcet NZ, Singapore and Swedish tones. I'm talking about the "Australia from the POV of outsiders" panel, of course. If anyone else wants to suggest a really good panel for listeners to create their own Conflux with, the comments are open to suggestion*. If you listen to any panel with me in then you will need to provide your own chocolate.
I missed the dead dog party. I was going to turn into a pumpkin, but instead Emma and Aimee and I realised that food was essential to our well-being, as were books. We went looking for the tandoori chicken in naan that I've been recommending all weekend. On the way there I said that Canberra takeaway places all transmuted into Ali Baba's eventually, in some kind of localised alchemical reaction. Lo, the Indian takeaway had transmuted into an Ali Baba's, which was rather daft, as there's an Ali Baba's in the next block. We looked at other food places and wondered when they would transmute. While we were wondering, we raided Borders.
After Borders, we went to Sammy's, which had not only moved, but was shut. We gave up in despair and went to the nearest Chinese restaurant. It was not nearly as good as Sammy's, but it was open. For dessert we went to Koko Black, but it was shut. At this moment we realised the universe hated us. On the way back to the car we found our hot chocolate (and it was good, and it was overpriced) and we reconciled ourselves to the universe again. Hot chocolate does that.
Let it be known that I'm a really good tour guide, but totally lousy at navigating Canberra without a map. Emma drove and I theoretically nagivated and we tried to get Aimee to her bed and breakfast. I got us across the lake with no problem. The last mile and a half took fifteen minutes: it was very scenic. I knew the road in question, too. I had no excuse. Emma finally got us there.
The closing ceremony was wonderful (except for the bit where I got blamed for things - I asked very plaintively why people kept on blaming me, and everyone thought it was obvious). I won a horror DVD, which is good, because I was so busy at the Con I missed the film strand and I plan to let the horror DVD meet the chocolate fish in a couple of weeks time. It's a treat the committee really need. In fact, I would venture to say that they *desperately* need it. The ideal horror film to go with chocolate fish is the NZ sheep one, of course, but the one I won is a rather nice substitute.
I can't remember what happened yesterday morning. It's just too long ago. I didn't make anyone cry (not even Russell), which is the main thing. Oh, and I need to state clearly that I did *not* fall asleep during the panel on divination. I just closed my eyes and got kinda thoughtful.
The panel was really interesting, actually. The three members of it went through a range of divinatory techniques and they talked about the underlying assumptions. What I liked about it was the way they made it clear that world view is important to it. Mostly at SF conventions I have been to in the past, folks assume that strange people do this stuff and we need to understand it so we can write about it, but we don't need to really let it into our hearts. The panel pointed out how divination is part of personal development when used in a certain way and can give insights that are quite different to insights offered by a world view without that set of beliefs.
I liked this for two reasons. First of all, it was an important reminder that anyone with different beliefs to me is not a person with my beliefs with a strand of superficial difference on top. They genuinely see the world differently. This needs respect. Without that respect, we're living in a world populated entirely with copies of ourselves. This is a boring world.
One reason why people read fantasy is to find exciting new worlds. I think it's cool that some of those exciting new worlds are here, in the same room as me. Even if my eyes *are* closed.
There was another reason, wasn't there? I can't remember what it was, so I shall make it up.
If you apply this to fiction, it explains how the best fantasy novels work and why the less-than-best are shallow. The writers don't quite believe that what they're creating are realities. They reduce the effective agency of characters in their world by not accepting magic-users and the reality of divination for some people in this world.
I guess I believe that I don't know everything there is to know about the universe. I know I don't know, so I have a space in my mind for those who see reality operating differently to the way I see it. This opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities.
What's funny is that this comes from being Jewish. Jews accept that people can see and live the world differently and that the difference is valid, just not something for us (we do in theory, anyhow - there are Jewish folk who will argue against magic and other religions). What I was doing during the panel was thinking about how important it is to follow through logically and to accept that I don't have to have a firm belief in something for it to be real.
In other words, I'm not very important and my view is just my view. I blame Dawkins for this. He doesn't accept that reality is complex enough to permit multiple views.
Yes, I'm tired. That's why I lost the Conflux reporting and fell into thought. As I kept on explaining all weekend, the higher levels of my mind shut everything else out when I'm overtired, so the more exhausted I am the stranger the theories I expound.
I have consulted with Emma (who is sitting knitting furiously - she wants to finish her knitting before she goes home) and we have worked out the nature of Conflux. You know my theory that every convention has its certain style and core? Conflux has always been more a writers' convention than a fan one and this weekend everyone came out excited about projects. Emma noticed people deciding how to write their new joint novel. I got zillions of questions about background (and my standard answer is - I'll answer short questions, but anything longer takes up my income-earning capacity and yes, I charge for that). All the experienced novelists and editors were bombarded with questions and attentive listening. The workshop on e-marketing was in the deadzone (when we were all partied out - just before the closing ceremony) and yet it was full to capacity.
And that's almost it. Let me return you to where I started. Karen Herkes' daughter said to me as I was leaving "If my mother is the chair of Conflux 5, then I'm the stool."
* I was tired when I wrote this. That's my excuse for unfelicitous language, and I'm sticking to it. I am, however, not sticking to typos and am fixing the most egregious now. I'm also hoping that long words are a suitable form of apology. If they aren't, I can provide suitable four-letter ones.
PS Yes, Conflux had daleks and stormtroopers again. They didn't get into combat this time, though they attracted much attention by small children. The daleks enforced the three book limit during the mass signing. I tried to talk the stormtroopers into invading the Daikaiju 3 launch, but they didn't turn up.