Birthdays: A.B. Guthrie Jr. (1901), Carolyn Heilbrun (aka Amanda Cross) (1926), Michael Bond (1926), Flora Nwapa (1931), Horatio Alger Jr (1932), Ron Goulart (1933), Carolyn See (1934), Edmund White (1940), Frank Peretti (1951), Jay McInerney (1955), Claudia Emerson (1957), Lorrie Moore (1957),

A.B. Guthrie Jr. won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “The Way West”

Claudia Emerson won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “Late Wife”

Thought for the day: “The great advantage of having a bear as a central character is that he can combine the innocence of a child with the sophistication of an adult.” – Michael Bond (creator of Paddington Bear)

Tip: Know your audience. Writing for children, teens, young adults, adults all require a different style of writing. So do different genres. Figure out what you want to write, who you’re writing for, and learn the craft for that angle.

Jumpstart: The borough has just dumped four feet of snow in front of your driveway and you cannot get out. Come up with a plausible excuse for your boss as to why you can’t get to work. You’ve used the “snowed in” excuse one too many times.

Oh, sweet Paddington Bear, at the train station, with his blue coat (with the tag), red hat, and suitcase. Such adventures he had.