We are all writers here at The Sacramento Press, so we understand the concept of "pushing the deadline." Writers are born procrastinators.

But time is running out to enter the The Sacramento Press Pro-Am Journalism Open - it ends this Saturday!

If you post your story before midnight on Halloween, you will be eligible for some great prizes, including a weekend at Squaw Valley (with dinner at Plump Jack). We're offering prizes from $100-500 for the best contributions to the site, with other prizes including custom reporters' kits, complete with a Sacramento Press-branded digital voice recorder.

But this isn't just about prizes - those are to get your attention, and award good work.

The Sacramento Press is about something bigger. Starting conversations - and keeping them going.

The conversation starts with your story. You can write about nearly anything, as long as it is about people, places, ideas, conflicts and events in the Sacramento area. The idea is to get residents to write about the things that concern all of us - or perhaps just a few of us.

The more local, the better.

Come join us at The Sacramento Press in reinventing journalism in a way that serves the ordinary citizen in difficult times.

And do it this week! Visit sacramentopress.com/open for all the details about the Sacramento Press Journalism Open.