Birthdays: Allegra Goodman, Bill Watterson, Jean Cocteau, Jill Murphy, Marcel Achard, Sebastian Barry

Tip: Read your story out loud or have the computer read it to you if you have the capability. Really listen as you read it. Are there places you skip over? Words you change? Fix them.

Thought for the day: “There is only one trick that marks the writer. He is always watching. It’s a kind of trick of the mind and he is born with it.” – Morley Callaghan

Jumpstart: For a lark, you go to a palm reader. At first, she smiles broadly, then her eyes get wide and she shakes her head. What is your reading?

Tip: It is Independence Day in the US. What do you need to do to mark your independence in writing? Carve out space and time for yourself and declare your independence.

Thought for the day: “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” – William James

Jumpstart: If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life, would you? What would it be? Why would you change that?

Birthdays: Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860), Franz Kafka (1883), M.F.K. Fisher (1908), Tom Stoppard (1937), Dave Barry (1947)

Tip: Be careful about overusing tropes (a common theme that shows up in a lot of books). They can be used to your advantage, especially in some genres, but use them carefully.

Thought for the day: “Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.” – Voltaire

Jumpstart: In 1863, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania became the center of the conflict between the North and South. Put your character there. What side is s/he on? Is s/he a fighter or a civilian? What happens?

Birthdays: Hermann Hesse (1877), Wislawa Szymborska (1923), Jean Craighead George (1919)

Tip: Three act structure is the most common storytelling device. In Act I, the main character’s life is thrown out of whack. In Act II, he tries to solve the problem, but can’t. Act III, he uses knowledge gained in II and formulates a new plan.

Thought for the day: “One step at a time is all it takes and pretty soon, with enough steps, you’ve scaled that mountain.” – Marylee Woods

Jumpstart: You have just learned that you are the heir to a kingdom – a very small one with rich resources but surrounded by larger, not so nice ones. Do you take the throne? Why or why not?

Birthdays: George Sand (1804), William Strunk (1869), James M. Cain (1892), Emily Arnold McCully (1939)

Tip: Consider using a storyboard for your book. Set up a chart—either paper, computer or large piece of cardboard or whiteboard that you map out your scenes and chapters on. Sticky notes work well for this as you can move them around.

Thought for the day: “Writing is a long-term proposition. You must be driven by the love of doing the work, because most days, that’s all you have.” – Susan Macias

Jumpstart: Write a scene where two enemies are caught in a stuck elevator. What happens?

Birthdays: David McPhail (1940), Adam Roberts, Assia Djebar, Czeslaw Milosz, Dinaw Megestu, Jose Emilio Pacheco, Winston Graham

Tip: In dialogue, try to avoid the “But as you know…” syndrome. If the reader should know it, then you should have had it in before this.

Thought for the day: “You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.” – Colette

Jumpstart: Open any magazine to a picture and write a paragraph about what is happening or what is being advertised. You’re trying to describe this to someone who can’t see it. Be specific.

Birthdays: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712), Mark Helprin (1947), Jane Ransom (1958), Aimee Bender, Asa Larsson, Deborah Moggach, Eric Ambler

Tip: Do not plagiarize another author’s work. EVER.

Thought for the day: “If you get a nasty fan letter, treasure it. The writer of it would love to be you.” – Dee Holmes

Jumpstart: Write an excuse to the writing principal about why you didn’t write today. Make it plausible.

Birthdays: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872), Helen Keller (1880), Lucille Clifton (1936), Alice McDermott (1953), Christina Bjork (1938), Esther Forbes (1891), Anita Diamant, E.R. Braithwaite, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Teju Cole

Tip: Don’t expect agents or editors to do the work for you. They don’t have the time. Your story should be as good as you can possibly make it. If they say you need to fix things… fix them yourself.

Thought for the day: “You can’t reach your goal if you don’t reach for it.” – Cynthia Thomason

Jumpstart: You have planned the ultimate sit-down dinner. The guests have all arrived and the food is being served. There is just enough for everyone—when an unexpected guest arrives. This person is important and to turn them away would be an insult. What do you do?

Birthdays: Pearl S. Buck (1892), Walter, Farley (1922), Nancy Willard (1938), Charlotte Zolotow (1915), Edith Pearlman, Laurie Lee, Lev Grossman

Tip: Do not use “dream sequence” writing, as in the old TV show Dallas. You shouldn’t kill off a character (or do something equally dramatic), then have them come back and it was “all a dream”.

Thought for the day: “In this game, part of the responsibility for your success or failure rests squarely on your shoulders, so be prepared to take the heat when you don’t follow good advice.” – Mary Ellen Donahue

Jumpstart: Finish this: When the lights went out, I was…