Birthdays: Ben Jonson (1572-1637), Yasunari Kawabata (1899), William Styron (1925), Robert Munsch (1945), Jennifer Armentrout (1980)

Tip: Remember that not everyone will love your book(s). There will be rejections and bad reviews—that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad writer, you just haven’t reached the right audience yet. Don’t let it get you down.

Thought for the day: “One of the things I do is try to end a lot of scenes and chapters on mini cliffhangers. I think when it comes to plot twists you want to keep your readers on their toes.” – Jennifer Armentrout

Jumpstart: You character is digging a hole in her backyard to plant a tree and she digs up a human skeleton. What happens next?