I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: Seize the moment. Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it. Don't have it on their schedule, and didn't know it was coming or they are too strict to depart from their routine.

    I can't count the times I called my sister and said, “How about going to lunch in half an hour?” She would gasp and stammer(结结巴巴地说), “I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known it yesterday, I had a late breakfast, and it looks like rain.” And my personal favorite response: “It's just Monday.” She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

    Life has a way of going faster as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises made to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we are awaken, and all have to show for our lives is repetition of “I'm going to”, “I plan on” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit.”

    When anyone calls my “seize the moment” friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for a while, and you're ready to change your attitude to life.

    My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy. Now go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to, not something on your SHOULD DO list.

    Jack Ma's net worth increased $2.8bn overnight as Alibaba forecast sales growth that topped every analyst's estimate, despite the fact that China's economy is slowing down.

    Mr. Ma, aged 52 this year, is now the richest person in Asia and 14^th wealthiest in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His net worth has climbed $8.5bn this year to $（4）8bn.

    The latest surge came after China's largest e-commerce company forecast 45 to 49 percent revenue(收入) growth in the year ending March, demonstrating how investments beyond online shopping are paying off. Shares in Alibaba, where Mr. Ma is chairman, rose 13 percent to a record high.

    Alibaba and Tencent, which dominate online shopping and social media, respectively have ventured(冒险) deeper into new areas from cloud computing services to streaming music and video as the country's economy slows. Alibaba is capturing more digital advertising spending by incorporating(合并) social elements such as video in its shopping sites.

    Alibaba is holding meetings with investors this week. On Friday, the former English teacher said he wasn't going to discuss corporate forecasts. He took the stage instead to describe how his company had become effectively the world's 22^nd largest economy—just after Argentina—in terms of transaction(交易) by never fearing to think big. Mr. Ma, who said Alibaba revises 10-year plans annually, foresaw the company becoming the fifth-largest eventually by 2036 by serving a burgeoning Chinese middle classes, taking advantage of global trade and making use of its valuable data.

    Ma's comments about the evolution of data-driven technology echoed Masayoshi Son, Chairman of Japan's SoftBank. SoftBank—Alibaba's largest shareholder—has invested billions in companies such as ARM with the intention of staking out a leading position in the future Internet of Things.

    “The Internet of Things is going to be big because in the past, machines drink electricity,” Mr. Ma told investors. “In the next 20 years, machines will drink data. In the future, no company, no country, no business can survive without data.”

    Tears ran down from my eyes as I saw the essay my high school English teacher had just handed back. A big F was written on top. I was hopeless. I was stupid !My face burned with shame when my classmates called me stupid.

    “I'm the only one who doesn't know my ABCs!” I sobbed to Mom.

    “I'll help,” she promised.

    Everyday I sat with her, but to me, cat looked like cta and red was reb. Frustrated, I would return to my bedroom and draw, filling the paper with houses, restaurants and offices.

    “When I grow up, I want my own store,” I told Mom , pointing to my drawings.

    “That's great!” she said, “ but first you have to learn to read.”

Later, I was diagnosed with dyslexia (失读症). So Mom took me to a learning centre, where I was given reading exercises. But I still had a hard time. Finally, I graduated, but I was afraid of my reading skills.

    “I'll never get a job !”  I cried to Mom later again.

    “Don't focus on what you can't do,” she comforted, “ Concentrate on what you really can.”

    But what can I do? I wondered. Suddenly, I thought of the drawings I'd made as a child and my dream of having my own store. I enjoyed sales so much that over the next few years, I tried my hand at other businesses. Today, I watch over seven branches. We have 187 employees and $15 million in sales.

    While I'll never be what my teachers might have wanted, I am a success--on my own terms. The other day a student sent me a card, reading: You gave me so much confidence. I hope to be like you when I am big. Tears of joy filled my eyes. This was my A, and I smiled.

    There are two type of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.

    People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied .By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend many people, and make themselves dissgreeable everywhere .If this turn of mind was founded in nature ,such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied . The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation .It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realise its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them and help them change this habit.

    Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck .Those people offend many others; nobody loves them , and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success .Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrong doings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others, If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them .Otherwise , it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient , especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

If you take a minute to think about the things that catch your attention, they're usually outsized (the Pyramids of Giza), extraordinarily delicate (a well-composed song), boldly colored (peacock feathers), or shocking (a bolt of lightning or a twist ending). These attention-grabbing things make us curious: Why is it like this? Where did the idea come from, or what made this happen?

From these questions come boundless story possibilities. From those ideas, though, we have to eventually cut them down to the ones worth telling, the ones that will grab and keep our readers' attention. This issue looks at that challenge from a variety of angles. Jane K. Cleland tackles the idea of thematic writing — writing that encourages readers to think about big issues that may or may not affect their lives, but at the very least will make them think What if… Then Jessica Strawser shares nine ways to write more authentic (真实的) child characters in adult fiction to bring a fresh perspective and engage readers. Tiffany Yates Martin takes on the debate of the controversial prologue (序言) — should you or shouldn't you use one? You'll have to read on to find out. When it comes to short fiction, Ran Walker offers tips for making the most of titles and first lines when every word counts. Finally, Amy Cook looks at the topic from a different angle — when your published book has stopped selling but you know it has more life in it, how can you use rights reversion to help it reach a new audience?

Our WD Interview for this issue features one author, Michael Cunningham. I was lucky enough to talk with him about his newest novel, Day, which features everything I love about a Cunningham novel: family drama, global issues made local, and impossibly affecting, heartbreaking prose. His writing advice was some of the most unexpected I've heard.

Maybe you're thinking about what you want to focus your attention on this year. Whatever your goal may be, we are glad to be with you along the way.