March 13

Birthdays: Hugh Walpole (1884), Janet Flanner (1892), Giorgos Seferis (1900), Margaret Craven (1901), Mircea Eliade (1907), L. Ron Hubbard (1911), Marie Rudsill (1911), W.O. Mitchell (1914), Ellen Raskin (1928), Diane Dillon (1933), Barry Hughart (1934), Ridley Pearson (1953), Caryl Phillips (1958), Alastair Reynolds (1966),

Giorgos Seferis won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Ellen Raskin won the 1979 Newbery Medal for “The Westing Game”

Quote: “It comes down to hours and hours of work. I rewrite every novel no fewer than four times, sometimes as many as nine times. You can’t believe how many hours that consumes. It’s ENDLESS. You have to be patient to be a published writer, and you have to practice humility, because the editor (or teacher) is nearly always right.” – Ridley Pearson

Tip: Do you use a pseudonym? Do you want to? Make a list of possibilities and search for them online to make sure they’re not in use by someone else.

Jumpstart: In China, Ching Ming is a day when people visit the graves of their ancestors. Take a trip to a cemetery—the older the better—and note dates, ages, names, epitaphs (if any). Pick one or two and write about their life.