Birthdays: John Fante (1909), Seymour Hersh (1937), Barbara Kingsolver (1955), Trina Schart Hyman (1939), James Herbert (1943), Margaret Ayer Barnes (1886), Sara Shepard (1977), Nnedi Okorafor (1974)

Tip: All writing counts. If you can’t come up with a story to write, write a grocery list, a letter to your best friend or a relative, a to-do list – anything. Just let the words come. They may lead to something better.

Thought for the day: “The only way to become a writer is to sit still and write.” – Barbara Kingsolver

Jumpstart: Pick two characters from a favorite book and describe their courtship but put a twist on it. For instance, make Rhett and Scarlett Yankees. How would their lives be different?