Today is the birthday of William Howells, Lyndon Strachey, Ralph Ellison, Robert Lowell Jr., Richard Wilbur

Tip: Write your first draft as if you’re on a deadline. Set your goal and work at it.

Thought: Writing can’t be taught, but if the natural talent is there, it can be improved. – Rod McKuen

Teaser: This is National Elve’s Day. Imagine you are an elf. What kind are you? Are you the tall, willowy kind as in The Lord of the Rings? Or small and pixie-like? Do you have magical powers? What are they? Are you kind? Or nasty? Where do you live?