Birthdays: Sydney Smith (1771), Robert Hillyer (1805), Allen Ginsberg (1926), Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930), John Norman (1931), Larry McMurtry (1936), Kathleen Woodiwiss (1939), Lawrence Lessig (1961), Anderson Cooper (1967), John Hodgman (1971),

Robert Hillyer won the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

Quote: “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.” – Allen Ginsberg

“You expect far too much of a first sentence. Think of it as analogous to a good country breakfast: what we want is something simple, but nourishing to the imagination.” – Larry McMurtry

Tip: Decide what genre you want to write in and then learn about that genre. Each one—romance, science fiction, mystery, thriller, etc.—has its own rules and conventions.

Jumpstart: Write an article where you’re interviewing a character from a story for the news and give it a different spin. For instance, interview the Big Bad Wolf. Why does everyone call him that? He’s just trying to make a living, bring home the bacon for his family.