Birthdays: Roger Martin du Gard (1881), Ama Ata Aidoo (1942), Alan Bleasdale (1946), Erich Fromm (1900), Jonathan Ames (1964), Julia Glass (1956)

Tip: When you’re ready to quit writing for the day, before you do, set a question or scene that you will have to answer the next time you write. That way, you won’t sit there staring at the page wondering what you were doing or what to do next.

Thought for the day: “Understand that success in writing may (a) take a long time (for me, seven years to publish a short story, seven more to publish a book) and (b), once it arrives not offer you much in the way of financial reward.” – Julia Glass

Jumpstart: You’ve been asked to create a character for your favorite TV show. What show is it? What kind of character will you create? Would s/he be a villain or a hero? Or a sidekick? What happens?