Birthdays: e.e. cummings (1894), Katherine Mansfield (1888), Lois Lenski (1893), Hannah Arendt (1906), Rick Boyer (1943), Katha Pollitt (1949), Kate Grenville (1950)

Tip: If an agent you’ve never heard of comes to you out of the blue and asks for your stuff, be wary. Check them out carefully. Agents get enough requests that they don’t have to come looking.

Thought for the day: “Two pieces of advice: One, write out of an urge to write, not a desire to be ‘a writer’. That is, write about things that are important to you rather than things you think will ‘find a market’. Two, find some kind of paid work that will free you from the need to make a living from your writing, while giving you some time to write.” – Kate Grenville

Jumpstart: Today is National Dessert Day. What kind of dessert would your character eat when alone? On a date? Why?