Thinking of my potential to write a novel, I'm considering updating my most successful series character, C.J. Stone, from the 1930s to the present. I'm not sure I could do the research to the satisfaction of historical fiction fans, and my existing stories with C.J. aren't especially period-dependent. Stone could be a present-day pilot who flies a restored Grumman Goose between Florida and the Bahamas. I have published six stories with him, but he remains largely unknown to the general public.
The only question is, would I lose some je ne sais quoi in the update?
3 comments:
I think that sounds like a cool idea. You can still write it in a pulpy retro style like JOE MERCHANT but not have to rely so much on historical accuracy. Good luck.
I don't think updating him would hurt at all. Perhaps the plane is inherited from his Grandfather - depending on how old you make him. Maybe he's grown up on the old stories of rum-running and thinks of them as romantic. Using that premise, you'd still have the flavor of the time period you've captured in your shorts. Forgive me if I'm stepping on your creative shoes here.
Thanks to everyone who commented here and privately. I've decided against updating C.J., mainly because I don't want him to seem an anachronism or a Jimmy Buffett clone. I'll continue writing stories to flesh the characters out and break up the task of research. Then I'll try expanding the stories into a novel.
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