Chicken Soup Tips (The Books, Not the Food)

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IMG_6754You know that old saying about March roaring in like a lion?

So, yeah, there’s been some crazy roaring over here, but I did have a moment–with a lot of help from a pair of writing buddies–to share tips on getting your story in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book over at the Muffin. I call it, “How To Get Your Story in a Chicken Soup for the Soul Book.”

Catchy, right? But seriously, Sioux and Linda had some great advice, and why not? They’re experts in this genre of writing. You only need to follow their blogs to get a glimpse into their style and voice (but I’d pick up a couple of their Chicken Soup books if you want to really see how pros do it. Um…write, that is.)

Everybody has a Chicken Soup story in them but not everyone gets their story published. The competition is fierce! But if you keep at it–and especially, if you follow these great tips–you will succeed. And I hope you’ll let me know when you do succeed.

As for me, I’m fixin’ to roar off to our regional SCBWI Conference and a wedding and an authors’ reception and…whew. When’s that March lamb thing supposed to kick in?

Leap Day and Email Etiquette

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Wheee, Leap Day! I’ve never posted on a Leap Day and I feel like I should have something extra-extra special, something to do with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities (or at least once-every-four-years opportunities).

world-emailAlas, that is a tall order. But I shall try to make some sort of connection between those opportunities and my weekend post over at The Muffin About Annoying Emails.

Oh, I know! An email is often your golden opportunity to make a good impression on professionals in the writing industry. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you might say, if you’re pitching an agent with your wonderful query.

So you’re probably going to want to know what, exactly, makes an email annoying to folks who have to read A LOT of them on a daily basis. Not that any of you, dear readers/writers, have ever sent an annoying email my way.

You are all practically perfect in every way. But maybe you could pass along the email post to your friends. Anonymously, of course, as you have this extra day with time on your hands and an extra-extra special willingness to help those in need.