Birthdays: Robert Burns (1759), W. Somerset Maugham (1874), Virginia Woolf (1882), Margery Sharp (1905), JG Farrell (1935), Gloria Naylor (1950), Stephen Chbosky (1970)

Robert Burns is known as the National Poet of Scotland.

Margery Sharp is best known for her children’s book “The Rescuers” that was made into a Disney movie.

Thought for the day: “Observe strangers. Let your own version of their life story shoot through your head — how they got where they are now, where they might be going — and fill in the blanks for yourself.” – Virginia Woolf

Tip: Start a list of words and phrases you tend to overuse. For me, this is “a bit” (among a lot of others – I have an entire sheet). When you edit your first draft, be sure to look for these phrases and see if you can rewrite them.

Jumpstart: Use the following: shotgun, pub, four-leaf-clover, knight – and finish this: There was no moon out that night…