Today is the birthday of: Robert Bloch, Hugo Claus,

Tip: Think about putting some classical music on to write by, especially Mozart. Because of the mathematical purity of his music, it is especially stimulating to the brain.

Thought: “Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand—a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods—or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values.” – Willa Cather

Teaser: In China, Qingming is a day when people visit the graves of their ancestors. Take a trip to a cemetery – the older, the better – and note dates, ages, names epitaphs if any. Pick one – or several – and come up with reasons why they died.