This reminds of Borges and the book in which all possibilities happen. Which is the correct one and who is the ultimate judge in the matter? And does it matter if perception is accurate? Valuable questions indeed.

A possible outcome is to accept all or none of these responsibilities. You can hold information/power until the very end and relinquish none throughout. You can fold all details to the reader. You can also lose sight and become an organic viewer of the information. Equalization, can unfold faster on a blank slate.

In short, I suppose we all must first look through the objective lens. Some of us turn off the lights before we do it.

-Most definitely only a sprinkling of my thoughts,
Rand.
(I do hope sometime we get a chance to work more parallel on a subject Mr. VanderMeer. Perhaps a look at my website may lead to some phantom contact)

http://www.dimensionalfallacy.weebly.com

Very good post. Thought the same sort of thing myself–I like to be told in the first few pages what kind of story I’m reading–but you put it much better!

Endings. Yes, I need to write about that. I feel strongly that often the ending is messed up because it’s simply rushed–the writer is tired, etc. Which is why I often write endings before beginnings, even if they then change. Also, from not pushing through–not pushing through far enough on the implications of what has been set-up. Or not having a sense of conclusion when writing the set-up. Or abandoning what you have set-up stylistically. Like, going from true Apocalypse Now authentic detail and then ending with Hollywood blockbuster climax.

I also think there’s a misunderstanding about closure in a novel. Closure can be through the emotional lives of the characters even if some plot-y things go unexplained, just as in life, and the reader will be impacted. And blah blah blah.

Now you need to write about endings; those things are HARD, man!