NO IDEAS

I'm not the only person I know trying to write a novel in my free time. Stacy also has decided to try to write one, though it's not entirely clear where she got the idea. Just kidding. The guy who gave me this idea, Brian from sportsreviewers.com, is also wrinting, so I know I will have at least two people to guilt me into writing more often.

As for the process, the organizers recommended that authors spend October conceptulizing their novels. I'm late to this party, but I've spent the better part of two days trying to "conceptualize" what a novel written by me would be about. Unfortunately, I don't really visit my creative side of the brain too often for writing, so I'm basically drawing a blank on what any story should be about. Some of my early ideas frankly suck. I thought about a story centered around a newspaper, kinda like the movie the Paper? But that's been done. I thought maybe something sports related? But there are thousands of stories like that. I really don't know where to start. Somebody please help me out

Other than planning for my "novel," which will probably end up being a couple of short stories or even a novella. Life beyond that is going quite swimmingly although it appears I may not get to go home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas this year.

For the record: this would suck, since I don't get holiday pay like the other two copy editors (I'm the manager) and would be due more days off. I'd like to get home since I haven't been there since June, but I realize that the others on the desk would want to get to see their families too. One copy editor has already taken Thanksgiving, so maybe I could work a trade for Christmas where I work Turkey Day solo and he or the other copy editor works Christmas time solo. More details on that one later.

I'll write more in a bit...