Birthdays: Vernon Parrington (1871), Rupert Brooke (1887), Clifford Simak (1904), Walter Van Tilburg Clark (1909), James MacGregor Burns (1918), P.D. James (1920), Hayden Carruth (1921), Leon Uris (1924), Mary Calhoun (1926), Marvin Bell (1937), Martha Stewart (1941), Steven Millhauser (1943), Walter Kirn (1962),

Vernon Parrington won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for History for “Main Currents in American Thoughts”

Clifford Simak won three Hugo awards and one Nebula Award in his career.

James Burns won the National Book Award and Pulitzer for his biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hayden Carruth won the National Book Award for his poetry collection “Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey”

Steven Millhauser won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “Martin Dressler”

Quote: “Who here wants to be a writer?’ I asked. Everyone in the room raised his hand. ‘Why the hell aren’t you home writing?’ I said, and left the stage.” ― Leon Uris, Qb VII

Tip: Negativity breeds negativity. If your circle of friends or crit partners is too negative, it can influence your way of thinking. Figure out a way to turn that negativity into a positive.

Jumpstart: My mother always told me… (what). I tried. I really did, but… (what?)