kevin_standlee (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kevin_standlee) wrote2007-12-03 10:53 am
kevin_standlee) wrote2007-12-03 10:53 am
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Too Many Hugos?
Over on SF Awards Watch, we have a report about Mike Resnick complaining that there are too many Hugo Award categories. Now, I understand the argument that having "too many" categories somehow cheapens the Award; however, I reject it as currently drawn. The fact that there are Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Set Design doesn't devalue the Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress. Similarly, I don't think that Hugo Awards for editing and for fan activity make the written fiction categories somehow less worthy.
Now, neither Cheryl nor I have access to the full Resnick article. We are relying on the summary and quotes from it. I freely admit that I may be missing something. But on the strength of what we know, I challenged Mike in my comment on SFAW to (a) come up with his list of Hugo Award categories that he would eliminate were he to have unilateral control over the categories and (b) to come to the WSFS Business Meeting and propose these changes himself. Nobody is stopping him. He's done it before (1994) when a WSFS decision riled him up, so he's familiar with the process.
As it happens, there will be a round-table discussion at SMOFCon this Friday discussing Hugo Award categories. I wonder if Resnick's complaint will be on the table?
Now, neither Cheryl nor I have access to the full Resnick article. We are relying on the summary and quotes from it. I freely admit that I may be missing something. But on the strength of what we know, I challenged Mike in my comment on SFAW to (a) come up with his list of Hugo Award categories that he would eliminate were he to have unilateral control over the categories and (b) to come to the WSFS Business Meeting and propose these changes himself. Nobody is stopping him. He's done it before (1994) when a WSFS decision riled him up, so he's familiar with the process.
As it happens, there will be a round-table discussion at SMOFCon this Friday discussing Hugo Award categories. I wonder if Resnick's complaint will be on the table?
no subject
The other category I think may get a serious look at in the next few years is Best Fan Writer. John Scalzi only lost by one vote this year, and there are several other professional writers with very popular blogs who could potentially start dominating the nominations as people realize they're eligible (for example, Neil Gaiman).
On the one hand, unlike a lot of "classic fanzine fans and fan writers", I do feel what these pros are doing in their blogs is fan writing. And I'd certainly not have any problem with cons that named, for example, Fred Pohl or Harry Stubbs (Hal Clement) as Fan Guest of Honor. But the (pardon the pun) fanbase of certain pro authors who blog with wide readership does have the strong potential of overwhelming the classic fan writers, and fans who are not professional writers.