Birthdays: Arthur W.E. O’Shaughnessy (1844), Algernon Blackwood (1869), Marguerite deAngeli (1889), Max Shulman (1919), Hank Ketcham(1920), Colin Fletcher (1922), Valerie Martin (1948), W. Andrew Robinson (1957), Tad Williams (1957), Po Bronson (1964),

Marguerite de Angeli was winner of the 1950 Newbery Award for “The Door in the Wall”

Max Shulman is best known for the character he created “Dobie Gillis”

Hank Ketcham is best known for the character “Dennis the Menace”

Quote: “A piece of writing has to seduce the reader, it has to suspend disbelief and earn the reader’s trust.” – Po Bronson

Tip: Reaping rejections can be depressing. Make a list of things you can do to make yourself feel better and use it the next time you get one.

Jumpstart: When was the last time you laughed hard? Or cried harder? What happened to make that moment so emotional? Write this as a scene, focusing on the emotions you want your readers to feel.