Publication analysis: Chicken Soup

What the publication is about: Chicken Soup for the Soul is a publication that features nonfiction stories that are “inspirational, true stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” Chicken Soup is really about uplifting the spirit through the power of words. The majority of the stories focus around an event that happened to the author and ends with a either a moral learned or a happy ending. Each of the stories (or poems) makes the readers think. The publication wants the story submitted to them to begin with action and the story should end with a result. From the website:

Chicken Soup stories have a beginning, middle and an ending that often closes with a punch, creating emotion rather than simply talking about it. Chicken Soup for the Soul® stories have heart, but also something extra…an element that makes us all feel more hopeful, more connected, more thankful, more passionate and better about life in general. A story that causes tears, laughter, goosebumps or any combination of these. A good story covers the range of human emotions.

Subject Matter: A Chicken Soup book is split into chapters covering various subject matters. An example of the few: On Love, On Parenting, On Teaching and Learning, Overcoming Obstacles, A Matter of Perspective, A Matter of Attitude, On Death and Dying, On Aging, On Living Your Dream and Eclectic Wisdom. Depending on the book series title, the story should be correct for that particular demographic. If you are writing a story for Chicken Soup for Kid’s Soul, certain things should not be included as you would include in a more mature book of Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul.

Voice: The voice of the book series is told in simple basic English. The stories are a mixture of first person and third person narrative.

Form: Even though Chicken Soup asks for nonfiction work, some of its’ stories come off as though it were fiction. The story I excerpted below is an example of this. It seems as though the inspirational ending trumps the truthiness of the story.

Length: The length of the stories range between 300-1200 words.

Website: www.chickensoup.com (You can submit your story through the website also.)

Address:

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Attn: Story Submissions

PO Box 30880

Santa Barbara, CA 93130

Excerpt from the book:

What It Means to Be Adopted

By George Dolan

Teacher Debbie Moon's first-graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had different color hair than the other family members.

One child suggested that he was adopted, and a little girl named Jocelynn Jay said, "I know all about adoptions because I'm adopted."

"What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child.

"It means," said Jocelynn, "that you grew in your mother's heart instead of her tummy."