Idea ball!

Two different story ideas I've been playing around with have suddenly collided. It all started when my husband made the comment that the only reason no one flirts with me lately is that I rarely leave the house. Then my dad chimed in and commented (jokingly - my dad is one of the least misogynistic people I know) that you just have to keep women barefoot, in the house, and give them Epstein-Barr virus (the original source of all this unpleasantness). That got me thinking about a mystery/science fiction story in which chronic fatigue syndrome is the result of an anti-feminist plot to keep women from pursuing anything outside the home. It makes sense, since women seem to be more susceptible. And since patriarchy isn't just about oppressing women, but about oppressing anyone who doesn't fit a very narrow definition of "man," it doesn't hurt my plot in the slightest that males are affected as well.

Then this New Year I got slightly inebriated and started thinking about how a steampunk world might approach technology, and how it might be different from what we see here and now. That was fun. Still needs some refining, but it was fun. I consider any day I get to talk or write about entropy to be a good day.

Then today I had an appointment with my doctor. He commented that not very long ago everyone would have told me there was nothing wrong with me. I added that if I were rich, I could have gotten a vacation to the seaside to "rebuild my constitution," and that started a quick, interesting conversation about how Excelsior Springs used to be a health resort. Thinking about illness in a more historical context made those two story ideas smash together in my head. Time to make this into a steampunk/mystery/science fiction story in which chronic fatigue syndrome (or whatever delicate, euphemistic name I decide to give it) is an anti-feminist plot!

And I'll be able to work on it for half an hour at a time ... maybe even a whole hour if I'm having a really good day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC75aU47GRk