Wiscon 36, Day Three
Fun. Hectic. Just like it's meant to be. Today was parties more than panels, but I did attend two: one one self-publishing, one on rape.
[ETA: Here's a link to my Day Two post. And here's a link to my Day One post.]
SELF-PUBLISHING
The panel, "Before Self-publishing, I wish I..." was excellent. Allison Moon, Kater Cheek, and Jennifer Stevenson all had different experiences. Kater was considering hiring a copy-editor, because no matter how many times she re-read her books, she would discover typos. Jennifer advised against it; it was too easy to spend money on it and not get results. She suggested that finding a book-partner who would do it for you, in exchange for other book-related help, might be the way to go. Allison thought that paying someone helped set boundaries. Kater noted that getting someone else to read your books was like sex: If they were into it (or you), they'd enjoy the experience, but if they weren't, you would have to pay for it - sometimes a lot. Allison pointed out content was queen: people generally were conditioned to expect a flow of stories from an author. Spending ten years on a perfectly crafted book wasn't really the point any more. By the same token, no one really over-reacted to a typo or two. (I have to say I agree. I find more typos now in trade-published books, too, but don't really care.) What all three emphasized is that self-publishing is about publishing. You have to do (or outsource) all the things a publisher does: Edit, copy-edit, design the cover, design the book, format it, publish it in various formats (which may all require special work), and finally, plan a pricing, promotion, distribution, marketing.
The main positive is that you have control of the whole operation, and so the ability to experiment and get feedback. But you have to stay on top of it, monitoring sales numbers to see what works and what doesn't.
The next panel was in the same room: Rape Fantasy, Feminism, and Fiction
RAPE FANTASY, FEMINISM, AND FICTION (Kink-friendly)
Interesting panel, though not quite what I expected. Instead of focusing on rape in fiction, it discussed instead why some people find rape fiction (and torture fiction) hot, and talked about edge-play where the players enact rape fantasies, tending toward a discussion of BDSM. (It's under the cut. If this isn't something you want to read about, skip ahead to the next section.)
The panel was moderated by Ian Hageman; panelists were Allison Moon, Beth Friedman, and Elliott Mason. Beth reads rape fic; what appeals to her is the "hurt-comfort" trope. Elliott, who writes torture fic, (which started as background information for a role-play character but when posted online quickly gained a following), wants erotic fiction to have a plot line, rather than simply describe unrelated sex acts. Allison suggested that for women, responsible sex is all about vigilance - safe sex with sensible partners in appropriate circumstances; and this role gets heavy. There's something freeing about non-con sex.
How about reconciling feminism with rape fantasies? Beth suggested it was important to own your desires; you have a right to want what you want. To Allison, the main thing is consent; if it's consensual non-consensuality (usually with safe-words), then it becomes a sex-positive activity that allows a person to experience their full sexuality. Women do have power; they cannot relinquish power if they didn't have it.
The other important topic that came up was enactments of rape-fantasy as catharsis and psycho-drama; it can be healing for someone who has experienced actual rape or abuse to enact it in a controlled environment. However, this can be emotionally risky outside the appropriate setting. The main objective should be to leave one's partner feeling better than before. But explorations of this kind may prove to be unsafe if the people involved are not ready or fully aware of what's going on. Also, the Kink community doesn't like this conversation, because it suggests that there's something abnormal people who are into BDSM - when in fact many people are just wired that way.
Though the panel sounds intense, it didn't really feel that way. It was a fairly cerebral discussion.
THE GUEST OF HONOR SPEECHES
I had signed up for the dessert salon, but when I went down, the line started at the 2nd floor and snaked all the way down the stairs into the lobby. I went back to my room, and tried again a little later. Still bad. Finally, at 8.20 p.m., just before the dessert salon shut down, the line was gone. I grabbed a couple of dishes, found a place at a table, and listened to the GOH speeches.
Andrea Hairston made a wonderful speech that was part story-telling, part poetry, part theater. She described how her grandfather the minister and her great-aunt the union organizer inspired her; how she made the choice to leave behind science and math and law and instead go into theater and writing. These are the stories that create reality, that dream a world into being.
Debbie Norton's speech was a moving talk on generosity, on giving and taking - and pointing out that generosity is not just in the giving but also in the taking, in accepting.
PARTIES
I left a bit early to head to the Beyond Binary party, which I was particularly thrilled to attend: I have a story in this anthology, and I am sharing a Table of Contents with my Clarion instructors Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman! (And other very cool people.) Brit Mandelo, who edited the book and organized the party, is also going to be one of the two new editors of Strange Horizons (together with Julia Rios). I really enjoyed meeting them both this Wiscon.
The party had plenty of alcohol, having inherited some from a couple of the parties on Saturday. People attending the Genderfloomp dance party (which wasn't serving any booze) periodically came by for a drink. The costumes ranged from sheer fun to quite gorgeous.
Just opposite, the Museocon was giving a party with ice-cream made with dry ice, and a work-bench with little lights being soldered to circuit boards and tiny batteries. This was quieter than the Beyond Binary party, which actually worked really well; people drifted from one to the other depending on whether they were in the mood for a drink, a crowd, or a quiet conversation.
Earlier, I just caught the Strange Horizons party where they bade farewell to Susan and Karen, and welcomed Brit and Julia. SH has in just a few years become such an iconic institution. It's sad to see Susan and Karen move on. I have a soft spot for it; it lured me back to spec-fic when I'd given up on it, and it published my first piece, a poem. But Brit and Julia seem wonderful. (It was a pleasure working with Brit on the anthology.)
I stopped by the Arisia party for a reading by Cecilia Tan. That had a couple of interesting activities, too; a Maurice Sendak non-magnetic word game, and tower-building with toothpicks and marsh-mallows. I must admit I'd never thought of marshmallows as construction materials, but there were some very complicated designs.
I helped clear up (regretfully squishing the toothpick models), then moved on to the Con Suite, and then to the very end of the Genderfloomp party. People were dancing enthusiastically until the last possible moment. It was a great success, and hopefully will be a permanent feature of Wiscon.
So... Wiscon's winding down for me. I leave at noon tomorrow. Decisions for next year: Dessert salon ticket? (probably not); Governor's Club (maybe).