Chicken Soup for the Soul

Like most writers I have a list of ideas (OK, it's a combination of several small notebooks and a variety of scribbled notes on post-its, envelopes, grocery lists and any piece of paper I could come up with at the moment). They aren't even full blown ideas. Sometimes it's just a word or two, an overhead conversation, some weird fact I read in my local newspaper, a dream, a crazy situation I found myself struggling through.

Sometimes they immediately inspire me to write, research or outline a specific piece. But more often, they are left to percolate in my brain. I don't know what I want to do with the idea. Poem? Short story? Article? Essay? Or is it just a snippet, waiting for enough other snippets to create an entire piece of writing.

The struggle isn't over when a piece is written either. Then I have to find a home for it! Often,

that's the hardest part. Who is interested in publishing a short story about an accidental murder? Or an article about research on

fritillary butterflies? Or an essay about a reluctant runner?

If you ever find yourself with orphaned ideas, check out the themes of upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Today is the release date for my first Chicken Soup for the Soul book: What I Learned from My Cat. And they aren't even my cats! Check me out on page 213.

Chicken Soup for the Soul always has a few different books open for submissions - everything from animals to angels to celebrations. You can check out the upcoming themes HERE. I'm putting the finishing polish on a piece for the Pets book about Bill the Goose. After all, how many people can say they have a pet goose?