Birthdays: John Clare (1793), Isaak Babel (1894), Marcia Brown (1918), Louis R. Harlan (1922), David Storey (1933), Wole Soyinka (1934), Monique Wittig (1935), Jane Hamilton (1957), Carolyn Mackler (1973),

Isaak Babel was a journalist, Russian translator, dramatist and more, but was arrested and executed during Stalin’s purges.

Marcia Brown has won the Caldecott Medal three times.

Louis Harlan won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for “Booker T. Washington”

Wole Soyinka won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Quote: “Write. Write what you love. Write what makes you excited — journal, stories, memoir, anything. Be honest. Don’t be shy about putting in whatever you want. You can always edit later. And then, once you’ve gotten some significant writing done, throw out, revise, start over.” – Carolyn Mackler

Tip: When making changes to a manuscript, keep a copy of the original in case you need to go back. And always back up everything.

Jumpstart: What are you afraid of? What makes you cringe and pull the covers up over your head? What will you not read or watch because of the way it makes you feel? Write these feelings down and use them for your character.