Outline

I think I believe in that whole maxim that you should write about what you know. So I'm going to start the novella with the character moving from the Midwest to Baltimore. Then I can use fun slang like "hon" and "Balmer" etc. She'll work here at the library, or a psuedo-my library-esque place. I think it'll be the Baltimore Free Library instead. It's schnazzy and East Coast.

Plus then I can use my old apartment in Milwaukee as the starting point -- the phone interview at the card table while sitting in my lawn chair. It should be cool. And my character can live in Rodgers Forge, which just sounds awesome. Maybe she'll run into Michael Phelps? Or maybe not...

I can't imagine ever publishing the novel, but maybe after I get going, I'll put some of it online. Heck, it's just the first draft!

So far the plot goes like this: girl finishes library school in Midwest (prob. Madison just to be different) and moves to Baltimore where fellow library grad is living. Moves into neighborhood with several other librarians. Wacky hijinks. Workplace romance. Romance fail, go to plan B. Include scenes at bars and perhaps some wacky hijinks in the closed stacks. Eventually, book ends with 50,000 words with happy and empowering ending.

Yeah, that's real clear, isn't it? I'll have to work on the wacky hijinks aspect. Flesh it out a bit.