A scuba suit is not bullet proof....

Saw a bad-ass movie last night that I just loved. It had elements in it that I generally find a major turn off - lots of violence and a young person saying my least favourite word in the world - and yet Kick Ass was funny, moving, and thoughtful with great costumes and I would happily see it again. And again. Perhaps it was the irreverent anti-pc tone. Perhaps it was the acknowledgement that despite our best efforts we live in a scary, violent world but you can't stop fighting it and the things we truely cherish, like love and family, don't change. I especially loved the part with the bazooka and the clever things Hit Girl did with a length of string weighted with one of those ninja star things. I loved too that director Matthew Vaughan paid silent homage to his wife in one scene. And as with any good movie, there were lessons here about great writing - because this movie turned lots of conventions on their heads and was the better for it. Be daring when you write people! And character development was so skillfully done. I quickly came to care about the key characters and had to watch through my fingers when I thought bad things were about to happen. It had a comic book feel even telling part of the backstory with an illustrated comic book sequence but this fitted seamlessly with the whole vibe of the movie. The only bad thing about good movies is that they spoil you for the rest. Hoohah - I'm so getting this when it comes out on DVD.

And my own writing? I have been eschewing my writing for fun things like GST tax returns and sorting out other bits and pieces like book cover photos and skype addresses and invoices and orthodontic appointments and book blurbs. All necessary and important things. I am marinating the first chapter of my next work, as well as mentally massaging the last few chapters of my YA but there are few typed words to show for it. And for some reason at the moment I am feeling wanderlust - the urge to travel to somewhere distant for a small adventure - New York, Morocco, Spain, Egypt, Ireland. Its most unsettling and most unlikely to be realised unless I win lotto. So back to the writing. At least the new story is taking me to Poland and Russia so I guess I do get to travel after all.

Juicy link for today can be found here at the Tall Tales and Short Stories Blog, with a feature on new publishers Nosy Crow.