the over and under of prepared

Is is possible to be both over-prepared and under-prepared at the same time?  I feel like I am stuck at both ends of that spectrum.

I thought that having an existing universe and a set of characters from my last novel (still only a first draft) meant I was prepared to pick up where I left off and write a sequel.  Then I let some new ideas get in my way.  Now I’m trying to create a complex structure to tell a specific story in a specific way, but find myself unprepared to tackle it.

The formal document said that the tribunal was being called to make a determination of her legal status.  That seemed like a simple thing to do.  Determine whether or not Molly was a criminal.  But really, their hidden agenda was to determine whether or not Molly was fully human.  And it angered her.

Today’s excerpt is where I want to just skip all the setup and dive into the meat of the action — if I had any action.  All I have is exposition.

(By the way, my inner editor rewrote this post three times.)