Birthdays: Hendrik Van Loon (1882), Hugh Lofting (1886), John dos Passos (1896), Emily Hahn (1905), Tillie Olsen (1913), Dudley Randall (1914), John Killens (1916), Kenneth Bulmer (1921), Yukio Mishima (1925), Thomas Tryon (1926), Taylor Branch (1947), Eric Maisel (1947), John Lescroart (1948), Mary Robison (1949), Arthur Cover (1950), Maureen Dowd (1952), Anchee Min (1957), David Beren (1957),

Hendrik Van Loon won the first Newbery Award in 1922 for his children’s book “The Story of Mankind”

Hugh Lofting wrote “Dr. Dolittle”

John Dos Passos is best known for his USA Trilogy

Taylor Branch won the Pulitzer Prize for History for “Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63”

Quote: “I make no claim to be an authority on writing or illustrating for children. The fact that I have been successful merely means that I can write and illustrate in my own way.” – Hugh Lofting (creator of Doctor Dolittle)

Tip: If you want to be a successful writer, you have to be willing to promote your work and yourself. If you don’t, you may get published…but you’ll rarely get anywhere. Figure out what you’re comfortable with and do it. A good rule of thumb is to spend ten percent of your writing time on promo.

Jumpstart: Get a timer and set it for fifteen minutes, then write. Anything. Everything. Do not think about anything. Just write. No idea? Write about that.