Birthdays: Norman Cousins (1915-1990), Anita Desai (1937), Kathryn Lasky (1944), Jean Marzollo, Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?), Lawrence Block (1938), Mary Wesley (1912-2002), Rebecca Harding Davis (1831-1910), Rebecca Solnit (1961)

Tip: Author intrusion – if it’s something *you* would say and not your characters, then don’t use it. Some authors call this foreshadowing, but it’s really not. It often shows up as “she didn’t know that the next day, it would happen” type of writing.

Thought for the day: “Usually a feeling of disappointment follows the book, because what I hoped to write is not what I actually accomplished. However, it becomes a motivation to write the next book.” – Anita Desai

Jumpstart: You have won a five-minute shopping spree in a bookstore. What section do you go to first? Why?