Birthdays: Ivan Bunin (1870), Doris Lessing (1919), Timothy Leary (1920), Ann rule (1935), Deepak Chopra (1946), Debbie Macomber (1948), A.L. Kennedy (1965), Elizabeth Hay (1951)

Tip: Does your book start in the right place with an interesting hook, good introduction of characters and the plot?

Thought for the day: “I don’t know much about creative writing programs. But they’re not telling the truth if they don’t teach, one, that writing is hard work, and, two, that you have to give up a great deal of life, your personal life, to be a writer.” – Doris Lessing

Jumpstart: This is the name I’ll never forget… (use: record, box, flower)