Second Draft

Last week, I started working in earnest on the second draft of my short story.  I’m feeling pretty good about the story, and where its heading.  Thanks to the feedback I got from my readers of the first draft, I’m making some improvements as I go. 

Early last week, I had a revelation about the main character, and that’s been spurring me forward allowing me to define him better than he was before, which is both essential, and helps me to give him a more active role, rather than being the passive observer he was before.

I’ve discovered that working from the digital copy doesn’t work for me as a method of writing the second draft.  I’ve found that the best way to do this draft is to print out the first draft, read through it and make notes directly on the printed copy, and then keep the printed copy open while I write the new draft, using my notes as a guide.

It seems to be working.

Copyright: Why

In his weekly column in the Toronto Star, Michael Geist talks about how US interests took precedence over Canadian interests in Bill C-61 (that copyright  bill).

He also asks some very important “why” questions:

• Why, given the obvious public concern with the bill stretching back to last year, did Industry Minister Jim Prentice plow ahead with rules that confirm many of the public’s worst fears?
• Why did a minority government introduce a bill that appears likely to generate strong opposition from both the Liberals and NDP with limited political gain?
• Why did senior ministers refuse to even meet with many creator and consumer groups who have unsurprisingly voiced disappointment with the bill?

These are important questions that Jim Prentice has attempted to avoid answering. Its clear, though that Prentice and the Conservatives fell victim to intense lobbying by the US copyright lobby.  That’s no secret.

In an entry on his blog, Geist goes into more detail than the article.

Faced with unrelenting U.S. pressure, the newly installed Industry Minister was presented with a mandate letter that required a copyright bill that would meet U.S. approval.  The government promised copyright reform in the October 2007 Speech from the Throne and was set to follow through last December, only to pull back at the last hour in the face of mounting public concern.

What’s clear, is that the Conservatives never intended to create a bill that would serve Canadians.  They were only interested in meeting the approval of the US interests.

Is there any question that its time to bring down this government?  Tell that to your MP.

3 Days

That’s how long it took me to finish Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother.  Many people might know Cory as one of the bloggers behind BoingBoing, but he’s also the author of many books, including Little Brother, which is his latest release.

Ostensibly, the book is a Young Adult book, focused on teens, but its just a damned good read.  I raced through the book, and couldn’t put it down.  I knew I was “in trouble” on Friday night, when I found myself still awake at 3am reading it. 

I finally finished it yesterday.  I’m not going to go into a lot of detail, but I highly recommend the book.  Not just for Young Adults, but for pretty much anyone.

What’s it about? Here’s the publisher’s description:

Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works-and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

When I read the description on the cover, I admit that I kind of rolled my eyes at it.  Of course, its a bit of a simplification (what synopsis isn’t?). 

Pick up the book.  Read it.  You won’t be disappointed.