Birthdays: Ernest Haycox (1899), Daniel J. Boorstein (1914), David Herbert Donald (1920), Tim O’Brien (1946), Isaac Bonewits (1949), Brian P. Cleary (1959), Louis Untermeyer (1885), Ahmad Amin (1886), Faith Baldwin (1893), John Campbell (1906), Austin O’Malley (1858), Tim O’Brien (1946)

Tip: Don’t confuse simple with dull—walk is dull, stroll is simple but interesting and gives the reader more information, perambulate is verbose. But…don’t use words like perambulate because most readers won’t know what it means. Go with words that are interesting and informative: stroll, amble, stomp, stride, march, saunter, pace, totter, stagger, etc. These all mean “walk” but tell the reader so much more than just walk does.

Thought for the day: “If your book doesn’t keep you up nights when you are writing it, it won’t keep anyone up nights reading it.” – James A. Michener

Jumpstart: Finish this: When their eyes met… (use: police station, giggle, cake).