Birthdays: Perry Miller (1905), Anthony Burgess (1917), John Lanchester (1962), Peg Bracken (1918), Sister Wendy Beckett (1930), Cynthia Voigt (1942), John Saul (1942), Amin Maalouf (1949), Jack Handey (1949),

Perry Miller won the Pulitzer Prize for History. Margaret Atwood dedicated her book “The Handmaid’s Tale” to her.

Anthony Burgess is best known for his book “A Clockwork Orange”

Sister Wendy Beckett wrote “The Story of Painting” and is well known for her TV series on art

Cynthia Voight won the 1983 Newbery Medal for “Dicey’s Song”

Quote: “Every idea is my last. I feel sure of it. So, I try to do the best with each as it comes and that’s where my responsibility ends. But I just don’t wait for ideas. I look for them. Constantly. And if I don’t use the ideas that I find, they’re going to quit showing up.” Peg Bracken

 Tip: How badly do you want to be a writer? If you want to be one, you have to make writing a priority. What are you willing to give up to be a writer?

Jumpstart: What happened on the day you were born? What is the history of that particular day? Write a scene from that day.