Birthdays: Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844), Beatrix Potter (1866), Malcolm Lowry (1909), Malcolm Lowry (1909), John Ashbery (1927), Shirley Ann Grau (1929), Natalie Babbitt (1932), Jim Davis (1945), Robert Aspirin (1946), John Feinstein (1956), William T. Vollman (1959), Jon J. Muth (1960), Michael Ruhlman (1963)

Beatrix Potter is best known for her children’s stories like “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”

John Ashbery won the 1976 Pulitzer for his poetry collection “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror”

Natalie Babbitt’s books “Tuck Everlasting” and “The Eyes of the Amaryllis” were both made into movies.

Jim Davis is best known for his “Garfield” comics.

Quote: “There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.” ― Beatrix Potter

Tip: If you can get into a good critique group, do so. They are invaluable. Not only will they help you with your writing, but in critiquing their work, you might learn a lot too. Just be aware, it make take several tries to find a good fit for you.

Jumpstart: Write up a zodiac profile of your main character. Is she a Leo, or a Scorpio? Or use the Chinese years – was she born in the year of the Dog or the Bull?