Birthdays: John Keats (1795), Julia Peterkin (1880), Dick Francis (1920), Lawrence A. Cremin (1925), Katherine Paterson (1932), Holly Hobbie (1944), Susan Orlean (1955), Neal Stephenson (1959), Frank Bruni (1964), Mari Jungstedt (1962)

Tip: Turn off social media and games. Don’t get into the “I’ll just check Facebook” or “Just one game of solitaire” mind set. Before you know it, an hour (or more) of writing time has gone.

Thought for the day: “Most writing doesn’t take place on the page; it takes place in your head.” – Susan Orlean

Jumpstart: Tonight is Halloween. In going through your child’s bag, you find a note: “Help me. I’ve been kidnapped.” A phone number and partial address are scribbled on the note. What do you do?