The Indebted--Blog of The Web Serial

The Indebted, a story of taking those debtors and throwing them into a slave labor camp in a future dystopia had started originally as a novel idea that turned into a novella. The problem with novellas is that they are too long for short story publishers generally don’t want to touch them and they are too short for novel publishers. This left a problem. Do I hack it apart and turn it into a short story or do I expand it into a novel?

If I cut it down to fit a short story, much would be lost in the punch of showing the darkest side of utopia and exposing the farces for what it was. Short stories are meant to be quick stories that you can escape into and then back out. In a way they are like a standalone television episode.

If I tried to turn it into a novel, then I would run across the current industry problems…the need for new authors with a track record. In response I have decided to gamble by turning this novel into a web serial. Starting in August, I will release episodes from this story and what would have been its sequels in a monthly installment on my website (http://www.davidalanlucas.com/the_indebted.htm). This would require a serious change to the original novella as it would turn the idea into more than just a novel, but into a series that will (hopefully) not end for quite sometime.

The indebted is dedicated to all of those who have found themselves trapped in debt due to no fault of their own but the shady dealings of less than fair and to those who risk everything to keep us safe and free only to come home to the threat of overwhelming debt.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates to the articles, blogs, poems, and stories that I write.