Writing Journal

So, it just hit me: I'm going to write a novel.
Next month.
And I don't know what is going to happen.

I mean, I know what's going to happen to the novel I write: it'll probably sit on my computer for a while.  I might let other people read it (if I'm satisfied).  If they like it, I might save up and try to talk to my dad's publisher. 

What I don't know is what's going to happen inside the story.  I know who my characters are (or did; I haven't spent time with them in months), but I don't know what they're going to do.

So I asked myself: what do I want them to learn from their experiences?  That might help me decide what experiences to give them.
I've decided: I want them to learn about forgiveness.  How's and why's of granting and receiving.  I've got some drafts for a series about this on my home blog, but haven't really made time to flesh them out.  I probably should.

Next step: deciding how I want my characters to learn these lessons.