As I mentioned in my Continuum 3 Report, Sony Australia has no current plans to give Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's film Mirrormask a release here. They're going to make us do a lot of work to see it on the big screen, so here goes.

I've typed up a form letter which you can download here (Rich Text Format 8Kb). Fill in your name. Sign it. Post it. A paper letter still carries much more weight than an email, petition or fax. In fact if the mailroom at Sony Pictures recieves a petition with a couple of hundred signatures, chances are they'll count it as one letter. We must innundate them! It's only a little effort and think how warm and fuzzy you'll feel.

Feel free to change the text around to suit yourself, I don't mind.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can view the Mirrormask trailer at Sony Pictures' US site.

I'm considering getting a little badge made, "I survived Continuum 3". Three days of new ideas, hilarious panels, informative panels, meeting people, helping people, readings, teaser trailers, book launches, dancing, silly outfits and making a fool of myself.

The best, in my opinion but in no particular order, were
The panels:

• Small Press Publishing with Cat Sparks, Sarah Endacott, Mitch and Jonathan Strahan because it was so encouraging.
• Reinventing the Creation Myth with Neil Gaiman, Robin Hobb, Cameron Rogers, Jenny Blackford and Shane Jiraiya Cummings because none of them seemed to agree with any of the others.
• Young Adult fiction/genre writing: the crossover novel with Robin Hobb, Richard Harland, Russell Blackford, Tony Shillitoe and Lili Wilkinson because they were all passionate about everyone being allowed to read anything they like.

• Neil Gaiman who read two sections from Anansi Boys and then teased us by showing scenes from Mirrormask but then announcing that Sony has no plans to distribute it to Australian cinemas. If you think that this is a foolish decision on the part of Sony write them a paper letter and tell them so. Address your complaint to Sony Pictures Releasing Pty Ltd. Level 30, 1 Market Street SYDNEY NSW 2000.
• Poppy Z. Brite who read a gorgeous story from an upcoming collection and then answered questions about New Orleans that made me want to go there and eat lots of food. I'm really looking forward to reading Liquor and Prime.

Other random Cool Stuff - the enthusiasm and giddy excitement of Richard Harland, me winning a round of Blankety Blanks with the answer "Wheeee!" (I still don't understand that one), all the authors signing above and beyond the call of duty and being nice about it, and Richard for letting me go and keeping the homefront under control.

I had many conversations with committee members about the work they did to make C3 such a great con (Poppy said it was the best con she had ever been to and Neil said the Great Debate was the funniest panel he had ever been on) and was pretty convinced that it was something I wanted to do for C4. But then at the end of the closing ceremony they announced the only guest they were able to confirm at that point for Continuum 4 - Shaun Tan. So now I have no excuse.

A pair of John Deere excavators, a pair of 20' long knitting needles and artist Dave Cole are knitting a massive American flag (sadly) this weekend in Massachusetts. I wish I could have a go. (Image is a 1:50 scale model from 2002.)

My desk doesn't look too messy at the moment, but it's all an act. In that way it behaves much like my brain. There are piles of things everywhere and I thought I would share some of them with you and together we can lament my lack of an orverarching organisational system. Or any kind of system.

To my immediate left it's pretty neat; set of headphones, power supply, novelty Supergirl glass holding spare cables and adaptors, a lamp and an unidentified bird feather. However a little further to my left, around the dogleg, hmmm. A pile of sketches, a pattern, fabric and notions for a cushion sit on top of the printer. Next to that are two pairs of pants requiring surgery, a baby blanket I started well over a year ago, a dress which will likely never become the fashion item I thought it would, and a bottle of woodworking glue. Two dolls, a skeleton, an unframed embroidery and two sets of small wooden drawers complete that side.

But the left side of my desk was not what inspired this post. That's just a normal state of disorganisation and half-finished projects. On my right there is room for a computer mouse to be moved. Barely. A mug of pens, a writing journal, a purple ceramic coaster, two empty notepads, and Lonely Planet guide for an abandoned holiday, a collection of quotes, two more notebooks (partially filled) and a diary.

Next pile: a plastic ruler, list of local playgroups, scrap pad, shoebox of dress patterns that I actually want to make, personal journal, unfinished manuscript (x2), CD I'm selling on Ebay, book I will soon be selling on Ebay, recent issue of Victorian Writer, printout of Continuum 3 program, notes for a children's book.

Rear pile: abandoned set of 43 folders (off-topic: GTD sucks if you work at home but barely sit down all day), dictionary, ooh, look another unfinished story, another personal journal, small binder containing incompleted To Do lists, empty notebook and a box of tissues.

If I close my laptop I can see all sorts of other toys too: small plastic mouse, tiny teddy bear, witchy Pez dispenser (yes, that witchy Pez, for those in the know), speakers, papier mache box of pot pourri, list of graphic novels held by the local library, antique glass bottle holding dried roses and marked "Poison", a foutain pen, a wicker basket shaped like a duck, which, in turn, keeps safe: a tiny cloth ghost in a glow-in-the-dark coffin, a knitted intarsia wrist-warmer that says "geek", small golliwog, a raven I sculpted fom Sculpey, gray knitted sheep and a large clear quartz crystal.

There is probably a simple answer along the lines of separate according to topic and/or function. But I don't think my brain works that way. So neither will my desk.