Read this petition about comic books and see if you want to sign.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Protect-Comics/

(more info here http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/graphic-artists-condemn-plans-to-ban-erotic-comics-1652270.html)

If I can't even come in the top 7 in a stupid warhammer fan fiction contest out of 30 entries why am I bothering my ass to write a novel? Maybe I should just accept that my writing dreams with never come to fruition and I'm just not good enough.

You may be surprised to learn that I am currently writing the penultimate chapter of my novel and am nearly half way through.

I guess I thought after three years (with a year off for baby in the middle) I should get this thing finished. Of course now I am near the end it is geting harder, with two massive fight scenes to write....arrggaghhhh. And then WAR does a fan fiction contest which I have to take part in...My goal is to have it completed by FantasyCon in September so I can actually say I have finished it this year - and perhaps discuss it with the senior editor there.

A mouthful of rancid milk? I want to say a human male by product (and then only some people's) but I am afraid that my dad might read this.

Reminds me of the time my mum read one of my teenage angsty poems that had a bad swear word (well it was bad in my youth but now seems to be widely acceptable - how did that happen?) in it and I was mortified. Though looking back, was I more embarassed about the swear word or the fact that she got a glimpse into my mind at the time? Here, the words recreated...

Glass Prism by Tamsyn Hutchinson

A see through glass prism
Is just like my fear.
Touch the cold;
Taste the pain.
Caress it, Smash it -
Leave a night sky of emotion,
Ready to walk across.
But the hurt is sweet,
Like hot nails through my tongue.
Coiling, weeping insanity
Fuck this mortality,
And suck me in,
Deeper,
Deeper to Darkness.
I break into heaven where
The tangents scream, and
Dead thoughts corrode.
But a light at the surface of the ocean waves.
Pull me up to meet it,
And I will sing for you
A song of glass prisms,
Moonlight knives,
And bloody kisses.
The glue awaits
For sticky fingers and
Wet Carpet Brain.
Will I laugh at myself again?
Or see my fake reflection,
In a dusty, glass prism.

More old poetry of mine resides at: http://www.cuckoo.org/features/poetry/

Back from FantasyCon 2008 and here is my breakdown...

Good bits:
1. Being encouraged to write again, anything that can do that is worth the money.
2. Meeting amazing authors such as Christoper Golden and Ian Watson, and hearing great authors chat about their work. I have new respect for tv tie in novels!
3. Being faint in the presence of Dave McKean and his work. He also did a sketch of the Sandman for me.
4. Meeting old friends and making some new ones. It is good to know you are not alone in liking the, and aspiring to the same things.

Bad Bits:
1. The hotel - the service, prices, rooms, bar and food were all terrible. So much so we are probably going to stay somewhere else next year, even though it means I won't be able to spend the entire weekend in my socks, and have to stumble across the road at 3am instead of riding upstairs in the lift.
2. Scheduling of the panels - One of the reasons I go to the event is to hear the talks on writing, and it is very annoying when they are scheduled at the same time as the guest of honour talks. So I missed Dave McKean and Christopher Golden. Boo.
3. Not being able to get drunk in the evening and chat all night in the bar - ok so this one is my own fault for taking the sprog. I've learnt my lesson!

Good chance I'll be back next year.....

If you're interested http://www.fantasycon.org.uk/

Finally I can comfortably inflict my writing upon you without it looking like a vanity project!

My writing group is trying an experiment in online writing collaboration. We are going to write a section, then the next person will continue the piece. Who knows if it will work, especially since we all have completely different styles. As I set it all up, I posted first. Let the comedy commence!


http://jedmalt.livejournal.com

No, not an early birth annoucement (I'm still decided if I want to blog through the early stages of my labour. I've been told that bit can last for 6 hours or so, might be interesting and distracting...) but I actually wrote something today.

I had 500 words to do on the subject of twins for my writing group. I decided to do some science fiction. Afterwards I had the crzy notion of submitting it to the Waterstones What's Your Story site since it was short, and I had recently read Neil Gaiman's postcard. So far, so good. Except mere mortals are only allowed to submit 600 characters. Yes, not even 600 words. Have you ever tried to compress a 500 word story to 100? Not easy but I managed it. Don't worry I am not expecting to win and be published in the postcard book, I guess I can be pleased that I entered.

To view my effort (easiest way to find it is search under Kennedy) or far more interestingly, Mr Gaiman's, visit...

http://www.waterstoneswys.com/

Having almost finished my first (fantasy) novel, it is heartening to read words like this from Neil Gaiman, initially talking about the JK Rowling court case.

"I wasn't the first writer to create a young magician with potential, nor was Rowling the first to send one to school. It's not the ideas, it's what you do with them that matters. Genre fiction, as Terry Pratchett has pointed out, is a stew. You take stuff out of the pot, you put stuff back. The stew bubbles on."

You try and be original with your characters and plot but in the end, it has all be done before in some way. BTW haven't written a jot for weeks, too busy creating someone else's brain. Wishfully I'm hoping 4 weeks of maternity leave will give me some writing time.

1. Enlist in a university writing course
2. Convince the people that you like from the course that you could do essentially the same thing for free yourselves
3. Organise regular meetings, say bi-weekly, somewhere you can buy food and drink, like a bar.
4. Set a minimum word count that is decent, like 3000 words and take turns writing and presenting so you have one meeting on, one meeting off.
5. Listen to their comments, take lots of notes and redraft a lot.
6. Keep going along. Use email to keep up interest.

And eventually you will have your novel, and it shouldn't be that bad either.

OK that might be a bit of an exaggeration but I did some writing tonight for my novel, my first words for weeks, and I did manage 1000, so great, only another 74,000 more to go and I'm done! For me sitting down to write is one of the hardest things (it is that fear of failure thing as mentioned below) and I have to have all these tricks to it, or I find myself doing lots of other stuff which I don't even like, housework for example. Firstly I tell everyone that I'm going to write, so they keep asking you about it. Then, I make myself a special flavoured coffee in my WB Writer's Mug (I can only use it when I am writing, because otherwise I would be a fraud). Also I like to treat myself, and I've said that if I do 2000 words by Thursday I can go to the preview of Stardust, whichI have been dying to see for months (even though Ricky Gervais is in it. He is playing himself as usual, and he isn't that funny.) Small daft things I know but they work a good amount of the time. If I've had a bad day then almost forget it. You hear a lot about how if you aren't driven to do it then you shouldn't, well two fingers to the people who say that. You can want something really badly but despise the graft it takes to get there. Luckily I do feel really good after I have finished a good chunk (and by good chunk I mean 4 digit word counts) but it is pretty hard won. Don't worry I will not be posting a word count by day, that would just be de moralising for me and boring for the 1 person reading this (Hi Slev!), but I thought you would want to know about the saddle and me being back in it, etc.

First up I want to apologise to the 4 people that read this that I haven't updated it in a while. A combination of hospital, book releases and writing other things has got in the way (BTW I though the new Harry Potter was a disappointment, film and book).

Which leads me on to today's topic. I'm blue due to writing. My writing. Always had a dream blah blah and this year I have finally got on with it. I am almost finished the first draft of my novel, I know amazing. It is a few thousand words short, ok more like 20k, but the bones of it are almost complete. Cause for celebration right? Not so much.

Seems that the last few chapters are harder than the first few, probably because you've been writing for over a year and you are tired/bored/lacking in inspiration. Also, at the moment I am writing a flashback chapter for one of the 4 characters, which I am worried is more interesting that half the novel, which means scrapping the rest and starting again. My writing tutors would say that you is what you have to do to write really well, I say that I've worked too hard and long to let go of it now. That really helps my motivation.

There's more. I said this year I would start entering short stories again. So far I've entered 2 (I'm too cheap to pay for them you see) and got nowhere, not even a finalist. Unsurprising you might say, and it is not like I thought I'd win, but it is a blow to the confidence. Writing is supposed to be for the sake of it etc etc but if I didn't think it would get published someday I wouldn't bother and sit watching Brothers & Sisters instead. It would be a lot less stressful. I really have to make an effort to sit down and write because usually I am pretty tired from work (who isn't? if it was a joy they wouldn't have to pay us to be there) and I just want to flop.

So I'm blue. I'm sure something will happen and I'll perk up, but right now I'm eating enough sugar to make an elephant hyper.

The Power of the Fae: A Guide to Inner Enlightenment

Ever wondered why you dream you can fly? Why you know who is calling before you answer the telephone? This is because you are part FAE. Back in the beginnings of people we were two different races – one, magical, tall, radiant and angelic. The other, mundane, squat and troll like. We were drawn to their ethereal beauty and they loved our heartfelt emotional reactions to the world. Over time the two races intermingled and produced offspring. Deep in our genetic code hides the remnants of the forgotten fae, now only expressed by our subconscious mind. By guiding you through the lives and powers of the fae, this book will teach you how to embrace your inner faerie; and use that power in your everyday life.

Chapter 1 Know Your Elements
The Fae were creatures made of the four elements, earth, air, fire and water, but each faerie was made in different proportions. The primary Dominant and Subversive elements determined the fae’s character and abilities. By taking our questionnaire we can determine your elemental composition and describe your merits and flaws.

Chapter 2 The Fear of Cold Iron
Just as the Fae had an irrational fear of cold iron, so we hold on to fears and phobias which have no real grounding in today’s society. We examine the most common irrational fears and explain why they are easy to overcome.

Chapter 3 Shapeshifting
The Fae could alter their appearance at will to disguise themselves in society and hide from their enemies. This chapter describes the best ways to go unnoticed and why this can be beneficial, especially in social and career situations.

Chapter 4 Foreseeing the Future
Knowing what is going to happen before it does is an invaluable skill. The Fae used reflective surfaces and the bones of small animals to discern the future; we show you how it is possible with body language and the internet.

Chapter 5 Dancing in the Moonlight
They were unafraid to dance naked under the stars with each other, revelling in all that nature could offer them. We show you how being unabashed in the company of others can open doors to your future and build lasting relationships.

Chapter 6 Making Mischief
Some historians believe that the fae were troublemakers, delighting in the spread of malice through the British Isles. We debunk that myth and show it was merely childsplay, a healthy expression of your inner desires and letting off steam, and how it can also work for you.

Chapter 7 Casting Your Own Spell
One of the greatest assets of the Fae was their talent of charming others. By focusing on the lessons learned in previous chapters you can learn to influence others to your way of thinking for a happier, healthier life.

Years I have spent thinking about completing an online journal to vent my frustrations and joys of this world. I've found a lot of reasons  to not do it in the past: because I didn't have broadband, or a laptop, or I'm supposed to be writing my novel (still true that one). Anyway, since I am overjoyed at reconnecting with an old friend (he's not old, the friendship is, you know what I mean) that I am going to take a stab at it and will endeavour to post everyday. Now I just need someone to read it.....