Friday Speak Out!: Anthology Success Recipe, Guest Post by Linda O'Connell

In everything you do, even the most mundane tasks, without even thinking about it, you have a strategy, a plan, a recipe for success.

Occasionally I grocery shop without a list, and I have to return to the store. Whether I'm shopping or writing, when I don't have a plan, I have to repeat my actions; then my work piles up and I feel overwhelmed.

While some writers can toss a few words onto the page and write a great story without effort, most of us need a formula. I have been published in 20 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Each of my stories has had universal appeal, a beginning, middle and end, a uniqueness. Sometimes it was my message and other times my adventure that made my story stand out from the others. With each story, I followed a recipe and then flavored it my way.

Imagine you're scoping out Facebook and come across a recipe for the perfect cake. You would like to enter it in a contest for an upcoming church bazaar. You gather necessary tools and ingredients, mix, bake and create a masterpiece. The only problem is, you and half the population in your church discover the same recipe, bake the cake in a foil 9x13 pan and frost it with chocolate icing. Lined up on a countertop, you can't distinguish yours from the others. What about your masterpiece will earn you the blue ribbon prize? Is it how you decorated it? The elegant presentation? What will be the attention grabber?

Anthology competition is tough. Chicken Soup for the Soul receives a 1,000 or more submissions for each title call out. Editors whittle selections down to 200 and then select 101 stories for publication. Following writer's guidelines is similar to following a cake recipe.

• Choose the preparation tools and technique that works for you. Do you free-write and then edit, or edit as you go? Always edit one last time.

• Every cook adds their own touch, something special which distinguishes their product from the rest. Season carefully. Adding a shot of bourbon (expletives) or a dash of cayenne pepper (wisecracks) to a Chicken Soup story won't spice it up. Your recipe will flop. However, tossing in metaphor, blending humor, sprinkling inspiration will catch an editor's attention.

• Your title must have immediate appeal. Chicken Strips or Chicken Fingers, which recipe heading is more creative and interesting?

• Sometimes like similar cakes at a bazaar, there are too many of the same type of story submissions. Therefore, not every one of them gets chosen. Rejection has little to do with you and your product, and more to do with market needs.

• Just as the last bite of your cake should be as tasty as the first morsel, your story ending should be as delectable as your opening. Leave the reader with a wonderful taste, a powerful, uplifting message, a desire to try to replicate your success. Write from your heart.

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Linda O'Connell, an award-winning, multi published writer, beach lover and preschool teacher from St. Louis, MO blogs at http://lindaoconnell.blogspot.com

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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