Birthdays: Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809), Charles Fort (1874), Norma Farber (1909), Constance Heaven (1911), Richard Hofstadter (1916), Barbara Cooney (1917), John Graves (1920), Elizabeth Beresford (1926), Piers Anthony (1934), Diane di Prima (1934), Conor McPherson (1971), Paolo Bacigalupi (1972)

Richard Hofstadter was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.

Barbara Cooney was a two-time winner of the Caldecott Medal

Paolo Bacigalupi won the Hugo and Nebula awards for his book “The Wind-up Girl”

Quote: “A good notion for a novel is far too precious to waste; it must be caught the moment it flashes into mental view, or it will escape to the brain of some other writer who really doesn’t deserve it.”― Piers Anthony, On A Pale Horse

Tip: Don’t forget to give back to the universe. Help other authors where you can. Actually, help anybody. Little kindnesses can come back to you in many ways.

Jumpstart: Your character is in a non-motorized boat in the middle of a large lake when a sudden storm blows up… what now?