opportunity: Canadian stories

UPDATE FOR WRITERS! m From Janet Matthews   Canadian Co-author of   Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul   We're accepting stories now for.. Chicken Soup for the Soul The Spirit of Canada! Submission deadline:    May 31st, 2016       www.canadiansoul.com

 

In case you missed my first message, I'm excited to let you, as writers, know about this great opportunity to get published. It would be so great if you could forward this to your members, include it in your newsletter or blog, and/or post it on your website. Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Spirit of Canada is being compiled to help celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Confederation - Canada Day 2017. For both our most recent Canadian Chicken Soup titles we received submissions from writers across Canada that belong to groups like yours, and many of them were published. Do you have a great story? If so, it could get published, and yes you would get paid.    If you've not already submitted a story, here are a few tips: We need true, dramatic heartwarming or inspirational stories, that celebrate our unique Canadian Spirit. The best stories are written in the first person, and might be based on traditional Chicken Soup themes like:     Overcoming Obstacles  Living Your Dreams  Triumphing in the face of adversity  Love and Sacrifice  Kindness, family, community  ...and making a difference

 

It's vital to remember a Chicken Soup story is not an essay or an article telling about what it was like in Canada when you were a child, or about how great Canada is, or why you love it. And sadly, we are unable to use an essay that tells about  how your parents or grandparents managed to first came to Canada.    While those are both great topics, we do need a single, stand alone dramatic story - written in the 1st person, that unfolds like a movie - to engage and inspire our readers. It should have characters and perhaps even dialogue that draws your reader into the action, creates an emotional response near the end, and leaves them with a gift, and a message they can take into their own lives.  Ideally, it will express one of those traditional themes listed above.

 

We seek stories that inspire and open the heart of the reader; make them laugh or cry, cause goose bumps or make them to gasp and say,  "I`m so glad I read that story!"    Please visit www.candiansoul.com to read full writers guidelines and 3 Sample Stories before you begin writing -and you'll be well on your way to writing a winning Chicken Soup story.   Here are a few suggestions of topics to get you thinking:    Tell a dramatic story about a local hero that inspired you, or how one of our greatest Canadian heroes inspired or impacted your life.   Have you experienced the kindness of neighbours or first responders  who showed up in a challenging moment to make a difference?  Are you, or is one of your family members in the Canadian Military? Do you have a story you can share? Are you an immigrant, or the child of immigrants, who came to Canada for a better life? Is there a touching dramatic story that might involve courage or sacrifice - with a really moving outcome? Share your favourite holiday stories from our precious summer long weekends, including Victoria Day and Canada Day, the Civic Holiday and Labour Day. Stories that take place at Thanksgiving and other holidays, and how we do them in Canada. Tell a great story that happened at the cottage - any time of the year! Do you have a great story about camping or canoe tripping, or hiking in the Rockies, water skiing of snow skiing or skating? And we LOVE hockey stories! Tell a story that comes to life in the region you live - from the west coast to the Maritimes, the prairies, the Rockies, the far north, and everything in between. Did you travel the world - or across Canada - with a Canadian Flag on your back pack? Share your inspiring story or adventure with us! And any other great topics you can think of where a touching story took place.

 

We're scheduled for release in May of 2017, right before Canada Day, but we need a steady flow of stories to create the book, so the deadline is May 31st 2016.    Please remember - an essay about Canada, or a heartfelt nostalgic remembering of your childhood summers at the cottage is not a Chicken Soup story, no matter how well written. We need that single dramatic story that touches the heart to engage and inspire our readers. Try and keep it to 1200 words or less.     For full writers guidelines, sample stories and how to submit your story, visit www.janetmatthews.ca  or www.canadiansoul.com.    I wish you great success, and I look forward to reading your stories!    Love to you, Janet Matthews Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul & Chicken Soup for the Soul O Canada The Wonders of Winter & Chicken Soup for the Soul, Christmas in Canada  janet@janetmatthews.ca PS: One more thing. Could you please pass this message along to your friends and family and other writers who may have a story? EVERY bit of help is really appreciated!

 

 

Elma (Martens) Schemenauer http://elmams.wix.com/elma . CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf  . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs  . Book trailer https://youtu.be/sBRuhh1xX7Y .