Birthdays: James Whitcomb Riley (1849), Alice Dalgliesh (1893), Helen MacInnes (1907), William Zinsser (1922), Amiri Baraka (1934), Thomas Keneally (1935), Clive James (1939), Anita Shreve (1946), Diane Ackerman (1948), Kevin Boyle (1960), Dan Savage (1964), Paula McLain (1965), Sherman Alexie (1966)
James Whitcomb Riley’s 1885 poem “Little Orphant Annie” was the basis for the character Orphan Annie.
Alice Dalgliesh was a three-time winner of the Newbery Award with books like “The Courage of Sarah Noble”
Thomas Keneally’s book “Schindler’s Ark” won the 1982 Booker Award and was eventually made into the movie “Schindler’s List”
Quote: “Libraries change lives. They are the soul of a people.” – Diane Ackerman
“I imagine myself in (a character’s) shoes. I see what they see. I hear what they hear. It’s a time-consuming process, but the more you dig, the better the character will be.” Anita Shreve
Tip: Start your story with a bang. A dynamic first line draws readers in. Make something happen.
Jumpstart: Pick a classified ad from the paper and write a story about it. Who wrote the ad? Why? What is it for?
Sparkling Book Reviews 