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7 December 98 Monday

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Over coffee this morning I asked myself what I thought of The X-Files most recent offering (Area 51?-- Dreamland! ), now that I've seen part two. Last week, after part one, I felt... annoyance, but I reserved judgement, as one must. Today, having heard the whole tale, I think that, perhaps, tomorrow, with sufficient interpretive overlay, it may become a favorite... However, today, standing alone on its own merits (or lack thereof), filtered by no more than my own unexamined splanchnic reaction to a story told, I find it... annoying. Furthermore, today, it bothers me that there are people who will find the story laudably reasoned and motivated, who will invest it with subtleties undreamed by the authors, which will elevate what was demonstrably a sloppy piece of writing to a level it deserveth not. And, lastly, it bothers me that, in future, when I watch the episode, and enjoy it, I will be enjoying it not for what it is in and of itself, but only for what it has become through infusions of my own and others fond wishes for excellence... But, that is the way of the Art of Storytelling. If the storyteller offends his listeners, nothing will redeem the story. But, if the storyteller elicits the goodwill of his listeners, they will do all the work of compensating for all shortcomings, errors, inconsistencies, and oversights. They will cross the t's and dot the i's, and praise the storyteller to the skies-- for everything he never accomplished. It's an amazing process, and it happens all the time. (Shakespeare was a hack, but 400 years of investing his work with meanings and nuances has made him a better writer than any other the ages have seen.*) Bon chance, my fellow Storytellers! I hope your listeners like you!