Chicken Soup Call out: My Dog's Life

As always I share emails I get for stories needed by writers by many online websites or publishers.  Today this came in from Jack and Mark, my favorite guys from Chicken Soup for the Soul:



Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog's Life
101 Stories about All the Ages and Stages of Our Canine Companions



As many of you know this title was going to focus on the grieving and recovery process we humans go through after the loss of a family dog. However, despite the many heartwarming and inspirational stories you have submitted, we decided that the topic is too narrow.

We have added to the book and changed the title to Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog's Life: 101 Stories about All the Ages and Stages of Our Canine Companions. In it's new form the book will focus on all the memorable ages and stages of our dog's lives. Starting in puppyhood it will cover a range of middle years, senior dogs, and finally the twilight and the end, when our dear friends leave us. We want to capture the experience of living through the natural life cycle with our dogs. Because of the title's initial form we expect to have a nice large section on grieving and recovery (which isn't filled despite our collecting submissions!).

We are looking for true stories and poems written in the first person of no more than 1,200 words. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. We look forward to reading all the heartwarming, inspirational, funny, crazy stories you have of your dog's life that we can all relate to.

Here are a few suggested topics:

When you trained your dog to do something, what happened?
Has your dog ever done something that made you laugh out loud? Tell us the story.
How did you get your dog, and how did it change your life?
Have you had more than one dog? How was one different than the other?
Has there been a family situation that your dog took part in that was memorable?
Toddlerhood is a stage that all puppies go through from around three to seven months -- how were your dog's toddler years? How did he/she make you laugh or drive you crazy?
Teenagers, human or canine, can be tough to live with. What did surviving the teenage years, around eight - eighteen months, teach you?
When your dog arrived into his/her young adult and adult years, what did you cherish about the companionship you shared?
The senior years... depending on the breed or breeds your dog is, the senior years begin around age seven. How did you modify your life to care for your aging dog?
Twilight years and the end... it comes to all of us, how did you grieve? How did you recover?

If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book if you so choose. You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100. You will retain the copyright for your story.

SUBMISSIONS GO TO http://chickensoupforthesoul.

com/form.asp?cid=submit_story. DEADLINE IS MARCH 30, 2010. Book is scheduled for publication March 2011.

CONTACT US

Please do not reply or send questions to this address. For any further questions or correspondence, contact webmaster@chickensoupforthesoul.com or visit our website at http://www.chickensoup.com.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE please send an e-mail to webmaster@chickensoupforthesoul.com with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line or mail your request to:

Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC P.O. Box 700 Cos Cob, CT 06807-0700

How to tell if you have an infected wound

Article written for Helium.com by JP Shaw


How to tell if you have an infected wound or not is a question many people ask after injuring themselves.  How can I tell if my wound is infected?  There are several signs and symptoms to look for and all wounds are different.  A wound can be caused by a cut , burn, a scrape or even an insect bite like from a spider or mosquito.  Most people are not sure when is a good time to visit a doctor or even an emergency room.  Here are some ways to tell if you have an infected wound.

Look for swelling.  Any infection can swell slightly once an injury occurs but if an infection is present the infected area and swelling will become worse over time and will not appear to get any better.  Swelling can include the area around the infection as well as any limbs attached.  For example if bitten by a spider on the ankle; the entire ankle can become swollen.  If the swelling gets worse and persists after a few days then a visit to the doctor is a must to see if antibiotics are needed to clear up the infection.

A wound will almost always have slight redness around the infected area at first.  Damage to the skin and area surrounding can become inflamed to start.  However if the area of infection is red and the appearance is getting worse then it's time to see your doctor.  The area of redness can also include a blood trail down a limb which can be harmful and lead to clots and problems and require hospitalization if left untreated.

Soreness is a sign.  Most wounds hurt at the beginning but they often improve over time as the wound heals.  A wound that doesn't improve can hurt badly and soreness or stiffness can cause a further harmful reaction and does not get better but worse over time may require a visit to the doctor.  A wound without an infection usually heals within one to two days.  More than that  should be looked at to make sure the infection doesn't spread.

Smell yourself seems like a funny statement but can be a key indicator of infection.  A cut or abrasion, burn or scrape that becomes infected can often cause puss, a yellowish or whitish discharge and can leave a strong odor that trails from the wound.  This is another way to tell if you have infection or not as your body tries to heal.

Hydrogen Peroxide can be your friend in telling you if you have an infection or not.  Pour a small amount of peroxide on your wound and if the wound bubbles and stings a bit and a whitish substance shows over top of the wound then you most likely have an infection.  Peroxide can be used to help heal a wound.

No matter what just monitor your wound and keep an eye out for these key factors letting you know if you have infection or not.  Listen to yourself as your body will talk to you letting you know something is wrong.  Keep the wound clean, free of dirt and other particles that could help spread an infection around the wound.  Use a band-aid if you feel covering the wound is necessary, peroxide to clean the wound and polysporin an over the counter medication useful for cuts, scrapes, bites and other smaller abrasions to help it heal and lead you back to the road of recovery.

WW: Dear Santa

Head on over to WW Headquarters and check out others who posted on Wordless Wednesday.

A Time to Write

Finding time to write when you have two kids, one with special needs and a hubby with a brain injury is never easy.  And with Christmas just around the corner, presents not all bought, wrapping to do and festivities to attend to.  My time to write is even more precious.

I've been pondering the idea lately as to whether or not this thing I do (writing) is just a hobby or something more and it's been confusing me.  I love to write and I write daily but I'm not really published.  Sure I've published with Chicken Soup for the Soul.  I've published editorials in local newspapers.  I've won some writing contests for short stories and so forth, and I blog all the time.  But what does my writing mean -- to me?  Where will it take me?

I basked in the bubbles of my tub last night reading New Moon (again) because I love Stephanie Meyers and love reading the series, and I looked at each word closely as I scanned each page.  I feel emotion when I read if the author I'm enjoying is good -- they help me connect to the characters.  But when I read I also dissect each and every sentence, the structure, the tone and which direction I feel the story (plot) is going and if I can guess.

But does that make me a writer?

I don't know if it does or doesn't.  What I know is that my writing time goes through lulls.  Sometimes I go days without writing more than a blog post daily and then other times I get a spontaneous combustion of thoughts and ideas flowing from me; I spend the entire day in front of the computer spilling them out onto the screen before me.

I know I'm no Stephenie Meyers.  I'm no Nicholas Sparks.  I will never be Stephen King or Anne Rice.  I'm just JP Shaw, a mother and wife from BC who loves what I do, weaving words into passionate stories that I must put down on paper whether it's to share with others or not.  It's just something I must do.

So finding time to write might not always be feasible but I will do it.  I will make the time for my boys.  I will share moments with my hubby and family and friends, but my love for my laptop will remain strong forever whether I'm published or not because I love what I do.  And if you love what you do and feel passionate about it you should keep doing it.

That's the best gift I teach my children and give to myself, don't you think?

Wordless Wednesday: calvin says it best

 

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