Birthdays: Aleksandr Pushkin (1799), Thomas Mann (1875), Maxine Kumin (1925), Cynthia Rylant (1954), Peter Spier (1927), Mignon McLaughlin (1913), Sarah Dessen (1970), V.C. Andrews (1923)

Tip: Don’t clutter your manuscript with unnecessary items. According to Anton Chekov: If there’s a gun onstage in Act I, you’d better use it by Act III.

Thought for the day: “Editing is hard but nowhere NEAR as tough as facing that blank page and blinking cursor each day. You’re all alone and no one else can do it. At least with editing you have someone in the trench with you.” – Sarah Dessen

Jumpstart: Write a paragraph or scene without using the word “the”. Need more of a challenge? Don’t use words with the letter “e” either. Good luck!