Birthdays: John Howard Griffin (1920-1980), Erich Segal (1937-2010), Joyce Carol Oates (1938), Andy Weir (1972), Deb Caletti (1963), Evie Wyld (1980)

Tip: Keep a contact list of people who like your work for newsletters. But don’t overwhelm them with something every day—or even every week. Some don’t like that much intrusion.

Thought for the day: “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Don’t wait for an inspired ending to come to mind. Work your way to the ending and see what comes up.” – Andy Weir

Jumpstart: A group of geese is called a gaggle. A group of fish is a school, but what about a group of snakes? Or ravens? Go in search of as many “groups” as you can find and use one or more in a scene.