So Much to Do

I’m back from my family visit, which was equal parts stressful and boring. Between my elderly, demanding father and my mentally ill, demanding brother, I could definitely see why my sister jumped on the opportunity for a getaway with just her own family. I don’t begrudge her at all. My husband, however, wanted to have a “real” vacation and insisted that we take long drives to two different museums and two different beaches. After three straight days in the car, he finally was ready to stay put and get bored. Now we’re back home, and I want a “real” vacation!

But, duty calls. I’m in charge of the programming for SpoCon, a science fiction convention on Hallowe’en weekend. With the pandemic and all, we haven’t been certain if we can do an in-person convention, but as of now, it’s a go. So I’m wading into all the program ideas I’ve been offered and setting up a spreadsheet that will allow our speakers to choose what programs they want to be on. It’s a little stressful, but exciting, too.

On my vacation, I brought along the first rough draft of my short story, Hag. Being thrown out of my normal routines, I never really got to do more than glance at it. One idea I did have was to change the POV character from an older, experienced woman to someone younger and less confident. I’ve been working on a new draft, and it really isn’t jelling.

This is where I ask all of you wise friends which approach you think is better. 1) The older, experienced hag who is defending her daughter. She is powerful and confident, but maybe it’s all too easy for her. 2) The younger, less confident hag who is defending her mother. I feel like there could be more drama with the second option, but it also could be kind of a predictable trope where a young person has to step up.

I’d love to hear that you all think. Should I go with youth and strength, or old age and treachery?

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