Birthdays: Alice Meynell (1847), Esphyr Slobodkina (1908), Rosamunde Pilcher (1924),Fay Weldon (1931), Jo Beverley (1947), Elizabeth Bear (1971),

Esphyr Slobodknina is best known for her classic children’s book “Caps for Sale”

Quote: “Fiction stretches our sensibilities and our understanding, as mere information never can.” – Fay Weldon

“The greatest things are accomplished by individual people, not by committees or companies.” – Fay Weldon

“You don’t stop doing things because you get old. You get old because you stop doing things.” – Rosamunde Pilcher

Tip: Beware of overusing profanity in your story. A few words here and there are okay, but not every sentence. You’ll risk turning off more readers than you’ll gather.

Jumpstart: You’ve been stuck in meetings all morning and are starving. When you get back to your desk, you find a plate of cookies there with a note that says: for emergencies only. Do you eat them? What kind are they? Who sent them?