Birthdays: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), Dorothy L. Sayers (1893), Audrey Niffenegger (1963), Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), Mark Van Doren (1894-1972)

Tip: Know the market. Are you writing Amish vampire erotica? Find out where they’re selling. Who are other authors in your genre? Look at Amazon sales rankings and see what’s selling.

Thought for the day: “My advice for other writers is to get out in the writing world, take some classes, form a writing group, submit things to litmags… and then, once you have finished your manuscript, follow the leads your writer friends will give you to help you find an agent.” – Audrey Niffenegger

Jumpstart: Put your character in an ancient explorer’s time. If given the opportunity, would s/he sail off to the wilds with them? Why or why not? Does s/he get seasick? What would be his position on the ship?