Birthdays: Thomas More (1478), Charles Dickens (1812), James Murray (1837), Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867), Sinclair Lewis (1885), Fred Gipson (1908), Marion Cunningham (1922), Gay Talese (1932), Eric Foner (1943), Karen Joy Fowler (1950), Patrick McGrath (1950), Emma McLaughlin (1974).

James Murray was the primary editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is famous for her “Little House” series.

Sinclair Lewis won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Fred Gipson is best known for his 1956 novel “Old Yeller”

Marion Cunningham was noted for her work on The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Eric Foner won the 2011 Pulitzer for History for his book “The Fiery Trial”

Quote: “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will’. Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.” – Charles Dickens

Tip: Your main character(s) should grow and change through the story. By the end, they should have changed for the better and grown in positive ways.

Jumpstart: Your character is building a new house. What does it look like? Give details.