Birthdays: Omar Khayyam (1048), Bertrand Russell (1872), Henry James (1879), Irene Hunt (1907), Patrick Dennis (1921), Lillian Hoban (1925), Fred Saberhagen (1930), W.G. Sebald (1944), Andrew Gross (1952), Diane Duane (1952), Sarah Ellis (1952), Lionel Shriver (1957),

Henry James won the Pulitzer for a biography of Charles W. Eliot.

Bertrand Russell won the 1950 Nobel in Literature for “A History of Western Philosophy”

Irene Hunt won the 1967 Newbery Medal for “Up a Road Slowly”

Quote: “By all means be experimental, but let the reader be part of the experiment” – W.G. Sebald

Tip: You should get an official copyright for your book. Yes, there is a tacit copyright as soon as you finish the book, but registering the copyright makes sure you’re legally covered.

Jumpstart: On this date in 1980, Mt. St. Helen’s erupted, coating the northwest in ash. Imagine your character was there. What did s/he do? Where did s/he go? Or didn’t s/he?