Divine Appointments

By Tracy Crump

One year, when I served on the faculty at a writers conference, an author named Sharon Muse sat at my table for a one-on-one appointment and told me a fantastic tale. As a young lawyer, she’d been abducted by a former client who took her to a remote spot where he planned to rape and kill her. God supernaturally intervened and rescued her.

After he was arrested, Sharon began a seven-year battle against the justice system to get the man put away for life, terrified every day that he would return and kill her as he’d promised. Afraid to even walk down the street, she finally decided she’d had enough. She would kill him before he could kill her. God again intervened and allowed her to forgive.

Two movie companies had already contacted Sharon about telling her story, but she wanted to get the 300-page book she’d written on her experience published first. She asked me what to do next. Nonfiction is my forte, but I’d never published a book. What could I offer her? I gave her what advice I could and pointed her toward others who might be able to help.

When I returned home from the conference, I couldn’t get Sharon’s story off my mind and emailed her with more suggestions. That conversation bloomed into a relationship in which I now think of her as my third daughter-in-law. Through other God-arranged connections, I put her in contact with the country’s top-selling agent, and he took her on as a client. Her book, Kidnapped by a Client, releases this fall.

Sharon and I have talked about the events that brought us together. Or rather the many reasons we shouldn’t have met but did. We can see that God orchestrated our appointment from moment one. But what if she hadn’t sat at my table?

I’ve often mourned the fact that so few writers take advantage of conference appointments with agents and editors. It’s disheartening to see these professionals with so much to offer sitting at empty tables while writers avoid them because they feel intimidated.

Don’t miss an opportunity to speak to the very experts who can help you on your writing journey. If their appointment calendars are full, sit with them at lunch or catch them in the halls. They’ve attended the conference to help writers like you. Don’t let fear or uncertainty stonewall you. And don’t forget the little people like me, writers and mentors who may also have something to offer.

You never know when God is setting a divine appointment.

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Tracy Crump’s devotions and articles have appeared in numerous publications, but she is best known for more than two dozen stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul® and other anthologies. Her course, “How to Write for Chicken Soup for the Soul” is one of Serious Writer Academy’s top sellers, and she teaches workshops and webinars on writing for the series. She speaks at writers conferences, edits a popular newsletter, The Write Life, and has served as registrar for the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference. Visit Tracy at www.TracyCrump.com or www.WriteLifeWorkshops.com. Sharon Muse’s book is set to release November 12, 2019 and is available for preorder now on Amazon.  

Dissecting a Chicken (Soup Story)

By Tracy Crump

Chicken Soup for the Soul has been around an incredible 24 years and is considered the best-selling trade paperback series in publishing history. Its longevity is due in part to the diverse writers who contribute to its varied titles.

How could you become one of those writers? Try dissecting this chicken and see what makes it tick.

Head

Most writers know the head—I mean opening—must hook the reader. But you can find many ways to effectively kick off a Chicken Soup story.

·       Dialogue always adds interest and catches your reader’s attention, but since characters have not been introduced yet, it can cause confusion. If you use this method, be sure it’s clear who is speaking. Few Chicken Soup stories begin with dialogue.

·       Setting can ground the reader in time and place, but it can be boring if you’re not careful. Hold to the maxim that it’s taboo to open with a weather report. Give just enough detail that readers picture the scene.

·       Shocking statements grab a reader’s attention and make him want to read on. Just be sure the statement is relevant and stay true to your story.

·       A question can draw readers in. But be sure that if you ask a question at the beginning, you answer it by the end.

Tail

The closing of a Chicken Soup story is almost as important as the opening. You must resolve any conflicts, answer any questions, and bring it to a satisfying conclusion—without belaboring the point. As my friend Marylane says, “Tie it up with a bow. Your story is your gift to the reader.”

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Tie the closing to the title, the opening, or a turning point in the story to bring your tale full circle.

·       End with a lesson learned. Most Chicken Soup stories include the takeaway in the closing.

·       Conclude with a repeated line or twist on a repeated line used throughout to connect the end to the rest of the story.

·       If the story is humorous, or sometimes even if it isn’t, close with a punch line to leave the reader happy.

Body

Finally, you need something to hold this chicken’s head and tail together. The middle or “guts” of the story must provide a conflict or struggle for the main character (which is probably you) to overcome. It draws the reader along keeping her wondering what is going to happen and how the protagonist will triumph.

Now that you’ve successfully dissected a Chicken Soup story, you can construct one of your own and send it flying (I mean submit it) to Chicken Soup for the Soul.

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As co-director of Write Life Workshops, Tracy Crump conducts workshops and webinars that encourage others to “Write Better, Write Now!” Storytelling is her specialty, as evidenced by two dozen stories published in anthologies, including nineteen in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She edits The Write Life, a free e-newsletter with story callouts, that has inspired many writers to move forward with their writing. Her love of teaching also takes her to conferences where she helps writers hone their craft. Tracy’s numerous articles have appeared in national magazines such as Focus on the Family, ParentLife, Mature Living, and Light & Life. She has been a magazine columnist, written for newspapers, and published around fifty devotionals. Recently she has taken her “Stirring the Pot: Writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul” workshop on the road and is loving it. Website: www.TracyCrump.com  FB Profile: https://www.facebook.com/TracyKirkCrump

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