Birthdays: Pearl S. Buck (1892), Walter, Farley (1922), Nancy Willard (1938), Charlotte Zolotow (1915), Edith Pearlman, Laurie Lee, Lev Grossman

Tip: Do not use “dream sequence” writing, as in the old TV show Dallas. You shouldn’t kill off a character (or do something equally dramatic), then have them come back and it was “all a dream”.

Thought for the day: “In this game, part of the responsibility for your success or failure rests squarely on your shoulders, so be prepared to take the heat when you don’t follow good advice.” – Mary Ellen Donahue

Jumpstart: Finish this: When the lights went out, I was…