Process - Choices!

In theory, I have my basic story idea worked out. Well, maybe not the whole thing, but there was this interesting bit of conversation I had overheard once that just screams to be developed into a story... "she went to Seattle, became a witch, and then got into tupperware."

I have zero clue what happens next or even the point of view I'd even take on it; sure is provocative, though, isn't it? Don't you just want to discover what happens next and how it all unfolds? I know I do.

The trouble is, just when I was sure that this is the direction I should go, I got to thinking about another story that's been cooking on my back burners for even longer about a young woman who does restaurant work and the work is so seasonal that she essentially ends up becoming a migrant worker and never qualifying for any of the benefits they claim to offer, including healthcare. Conflict arises when her lack of access to affordable health care puts her into crisis.

This character and her plight first came to mind back in the late 80's. When it looked like Hillary was going to fix healthcare, I thought for a time that I'd missed my opportunity. Then, when all that fell apart, I figured maybe I could bring the subject back to the forefront again with this story and just never got around to it.

Now that the current economic situation has made the problem of healthcare so huge for so many people (there's a huge gap created when healthcare is tied to jobs and so many people are out of work; it's made even larger when average salaries go down while premiums are going up, forcing many people to choose not to carry coverage they don't have to) and the situation has boiled up to crisis-mode, perhaps the timing is particularly good now.

So - do I go with the fun story, or the one that's topical and has the potential to have an influence, even though it's much darker? The relevance of timing may be appropriate to ponder in that the shelf life for the first story may be longer than that of the second.

My sister apparently is faced with a similar dilemma. Yesterday, she knew exactly which story line she wanted to pursue. Today, she's decided she's having some difficulty thinking out the bones of that story and is considering abandoning it for another that's been on her mind. I find it interesting how our lives parallel at times; as much as misery may love company, I'm not sure it helps me solve this particular issue.

Thinking too hard on this, though, probably makes my brain hurt more than I really want it to right now. The only thing of which I'm certain at the moment is that I do not want to try to write two novels in a month! Choosing between these two (or whether to do either - that question is still on the table) feels too difficult for me at the moment.

At least I still have three days; and I'm not alone.