So here I am sitting comfortably between the completion of Novel Number Three and the beginning of Novel Number Four. Usually, by the time I’ve finished one project, a handful of others, which have been burbling for months in the Mind Swamp, start to compete for my attention.

But the Mind Swamp is strangely quiet these days. Not an idea fish in sight. It’s both exhilarating and a little bit terrifying.

I’ve spent the past few days brainstorming. Just throwing stuff out there. Seeing what sticks. So far, lots of throwing, not so much sticking. Here’s an abbreviated list of ideas I came up with and quickly discredited.

1. A Jail Story
pros: taut, claustrophobic tension
cons: never been to jail, possibly depressing

2. A Mind Swap or Bodysnatchers Story
pros: creepy, sci fi, potentially sexy
cons: been done, most recently by me

3. Retrofitting My Unpublished Space Opera Into an Urban Fantasy
pros: characters, plot are already developed; urban fantasy cool right now
cons: what to do with all the space ships

4. Jesus Christ, the Teen Years
pros: ?
cons: offending nearly everyone

Keep in mind, these were the best ideas. I think it’s back to the drawing board.