«Coraline» nominated for Best Animated

«Coraline» is getting a Oscar, or at least the Neil Gaiman movie have been nominated for the upcoming Oscar. This have been my write-about-Neil-Gaiman-week, and I'll end it with this blog about the nomination.

Watch the trailer here.

Just a few minutes ago my favorite animated movie of the year, «Coraline», got nominated to the category Best Aminated Movie. Of course «Coraline» have to beat the popular animated «Up», and several other. One is Roald Dahls «Fantastic Mr. Fox». «Up» beat Neil Gaimans story about Coralines adventures in the Globes. Lets not hope that the history repeat itself.

I will tell a little story about when my daughter, Maria, and I saw the movie together. I was uncertain if this was a movie for her, but I remembered Neils own words (or something like) «its good to get scared.» In his book «M is for Magic» he writes in his foreword that he often got scared when he was a child.

So i decided that Maria could see the movie with me, and hopefully have a good and healthy sceary time.

I couldn't have hit jack pot better.

She saw the whole movie, and she didn't say a world during the entire film. And she didn't say a word after the film. Actually she didn't say a word until she was in bed.

Then she said something - loud. Maria refused to sleep with the door closed for three weeks, and she still talks about the button eyes and the Other Mother. She was scared allright, and now she have this love/hate relationship to the movie. The cover is in the livingroom, and every time she see it, she turns to me and say:

«Maybe when I get older, we can see The Button Film again?»

Well. I loved the movie, and I'm gonna root for it the night of the Oscar. I hope you win, Neil Gaiman. I hope you win this time.

Best animationsmovie:
«Coraline»
«Fantastic Mr. Fox»
«Princess and the Frog»
«The Secret of Kells»
«Up»

How can I ever stop?

I have written almost my whole life.

Since I was a kid in the little town of Voss, my imagination took me places where dead people walk and talk, and into a world where anything is possible. Of course all of this happened in my head. In the real world, I was a ordinary boy in a ordinary world, happy living with a normal family.

I now write for a living. Im a journalist in a newspaper called Vestnytt. Its a good newspaper, and I love my colleagues and my place of work. Every day my hands dances on the computer and words come out. Words from fact. Eventually the words get stained with ink, and planted on cheap paper for people to read the next morning. Thats what I get paid for.

The other ting don't pay me diddly, yet.

Every night, when the sun has set, and the Night Things climb out of their earthly bed, my other brain starts to work.
I have called it The Other Kai (thanks Coraline).
At first I didnt know that it existed, but after reading Damon Knights Creating Short Fiction, I discovered where the voice in my head came from, and not the least, how to control it.
Thats why I gave it the name The Other Kai (thanks Neil).

After establishing the fact that there is another Me in my head, and If waken when I call on it, Im able to conjure more stories and make something out of them.
Finally, after almost 40 years, I can control the voice in my head.

The dear readers of my blog, may find me crazy. The answer is probably yes. Crazy as hell.

But I belive that my imagination all comes from The Other Kai. When on work, struggling with a deadline, I tend to call, in my head, for The Other Kai, for inspiration and help to get on when Im stuck, and I get help.
Within a few minutes, a strange but silent voice in my head gives me the lead that helps me go on and finish the story.

And in the night, when I sit in front of my Apple, and write about gosts, and dead people, and everything I love to write about, The Other Kai is awake and with me, all the time.

That was not the case before. Before I knew my other self.
Earlier I reached out into the dark, got clues, and nothing more.
Now I know what to do with the clues.
So I keep on working, and maybe one day, Ill get my Other Stuff Published.
Just maybe.

Until that day, Ill keep on pushing The Other Kai, and work with him, conjure stories with him, and love him until my dying day....

...how can I ever stop?