I took a break from writing over the summer and took the time to evaluate Three Sheets to the Wind. I came away with two major conclusions:
- Judging from the state of western society, a story that deals with the slave trade with European protagonists may be nonpunishable for the time being.
- More importantly, the opening 1/3 of the book moves at too slow a pace. I’ve been thinking in terms of a series, in which case a build-up would be ok. But I’ve been strongly encouraged to think in terms of standalone stories, in which case the current structure won’t do.
As a result, I’ve decided a significant re-write is in order, and I simply don’t have the energy for that right now. Instead, I’m drafting a Victorian supernatural story AND making notes for a political thriller based on current events.
We’ll see what happens.