Birthdays: Giancomo Casanova (1725), Hans Christian Andersen (1805), Emile Zola (1840), William W. Warner (1920), George M. Fraser (1925), Anne Waldman (1945), Sue Townsend (1946), Camille Paglia (1947), Daniel Okrent (1948), Joan D. Vinge (1948), Mark Shulman (1962), Scott Lynch (1978),

Joan Vinge won the 1981 Hugo Award for her book “The Snow Queen”

Quote: “Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch.” – Hans Christian Andersen

Tip: Action verbs make your work more vivid and interesting. Each action verb paints a specific picture. Go through your manuscript and change weak verbs to strong ones. For instance, if someone is looking at a picture—are they gazing, studying, pondering, or staring at it?

Jumpstart: Finish this: I closed my eyes, held my nose, and took a drink…