Birthdays: Frances Burney (1752), William Butler Yeats (1865), Tyler Dennett (1883), Fernando Pessoa (1888), Dorothy L. Sayers (1893), Mark Van Doren (1894), Whitley Streiber (1945), Audrey Niffenegger (1963), Marcel Theroux (1968)

William Butler Yeats won the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry.

Tyler Dennett won the 1934 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for his book “John Hay”

Mark Van Doren won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Audrey Niffenegger is best known for her book “The Time Traveler’s Wife”

Quote: “My advice for other writers is to get out in the writing world, take some classes, form a writing group, submit things to litmags… and then, once you have finished your manuscript, follow the leads your writer friends will give you to help you find an agent.” – Audrey Niffenegger

Tip: Know the market. Are you writing Amish vampire erotica? Find out where they’re selling. Who are other authors in your genre? Look at Amazon sales rankings and see what’s selling.

Jumpstart: Put your character in an ancient explorer’s time. If given the opportunity, would s/he sail off to the wilds with them? Why or why not? Does s/he get seasick? What would be his position on the ship?