Birthdays: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872), Helen Keller (1880), Lucille Clifton (1936), Alice McDermott (1953), Christina Bjork (1938), Esther Forbes (1891), Anita Diamant, E.R. Braithwaite, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Teju Cole

Tip: Don’t expect agents or editors to do the work for you. They don’t have the time. Your story should be as good as you can possibly make it. If they say you need to fix things… fix them yourself.

Thought for the day: “You can’t reach your goal if you don’t reach for it.” – Cynthia Thomason

Jumpstart: You have planned the ultimate sit-down dinner. The guests have all arrived and the food is being served. There is just enough for everyone—when an unexpected guest arrives. This person is important and to turn them away would be an insult. What do you do?