Birthdays: Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966), David Leavitt (1961), Hugh Howey (1975), Markus Zusak (1975), Winifred Holtby (1898-1935)

Tip: In addition to not overusing modern slang, don’t use law language. A reader should be able to understand your work without resorting to looking ten-dollar words up in a dictionary.

Thought for the day: “If you want to earn a living as a writer, which I’m assuming the people asking for my advice are, you are going to have to be more than a writer. You will be an entrepreneur and a publicist. Or you won’t make it.” – Hugh Howey

Jumpstart: This is your main character’s wedding day? What could possibly go wrong? What happens?