Birthdays: Christopher Paul Curtis (1953), Ariel Durant (1898), Arthur Kopit (1937), Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933), Jon Ronson (1967), Suzan-Lori Parks (1963)

Tip: DO NOT USE ALL CAPS OR BOLD unless absolutely necessary. If you want to stress a word, italicize it: We were supposed to meet at nine.

Thought for the day: “First and foremost, you need to be serious about your desire to become a published author. It takes an extraordinary amount of time, effort and dedication to hone your skills and produce a work worthy of publication. But like anything else, if you possess the talent and the determination, you will likely succeed.” – Barbara Taylor Bradford

Jumpstart: Your character has exactly twenty-four hours to… what? Does she do it? Why or why not? What happens in twenty-four hours if she doesn’t?