Birthdays: Federico García Lorca (1898), Richard Scarry (1919), Margaret Drabble (1939), Ken Follett (1949), Allan Ahlberg (1938), Chuck Klosterman (1972), David Hare (1947), Evan Marshall (1956), Gayle Forman (1970), Rick Riordan (1964)

Tip: A novel is made of scenes and sequels. Scenes are where something happens; sequels are bridges where things may slow down a little. You should have a mixture of both.

Thought for the day: “What politicians want and what creative writers want will always be profoundly different, because I’m afraid all politicians, of whatever hue, want propaganda, and writers want the truth, and they’re not compatible.” – David Hare

Jumpstart: Finish this scene: I crept down the stairs, not expecting… (use: tree, panda, coral, clock)