Birthdays: Rene Descartes (1596), Andrew Marvell (1621), Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809), Mary B. Chestnut (1823), William Lederer (1912), Octavio Paz (1914), Leo Buscaglia (1924), John Fowles (1926), Beni Montresor (1926), John Jakes (1932), Judith Rossner (1935), Marge Piercy (1936), Ian McDonald (1960)

Octavio Paz won the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Beni Montresor won the 1965 Caldecott Medal for “May I Bring a Friend?”

Quote: “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” – Rene Descartes

Tip: For ideas, look for unanswered questions in other stories. For instance, while Luke’s busy with lessons from Yoda, what are Han and Leia doing? Or while Scarlett is saving the plantation, what is Rhett doing? While Sherlock is searching for clues, what is Moriarty doing?

Jumpstart: Finish this scene: Finally, I checked the closet, and found… (use: glass, lizard, knife, flag)