Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers Book

	Acknowledgments	xiii
	Introduction	xvii
	Share with Us	xix
1.	How I Became A Writer
	Ronny's Book	2
	A Writer's Journey	6
	Vindication	12
	1,600 Articles Ago	17
	At Aunt Jennie's Knee	22
	The Writer's Song	27
	Write--To Conquer Your Fear	31
	From an Abyss to the Mountain Top	36
	Why I Write	41
	We Were All Beginners Once	46
2.	Living Your Dream
	Alex Haley--A Writer of Destiny	54
	Dreams Do Come True	61
	Dreams Lost and Found	64
	Dreams Have a Price	68
	For Love or Money	71
	Take That Chance!	75
3.	Defining Moments
	A Serendipitous Visit to Revelation Island	84
	Writing Can Be Magic	91
	Papa's Gift	97
	You Can't Afford to Doubt Yourself	100
	A Perfect Night to Die	104
	A Chat with Alex Haley	108
	Cash Rewards	115
	Why I Keep Writing	119
4.	Finding Your Voice
	It Doesn't Matter What You Write	124
	Legacy	128
	A Writer's Real Worth Is Inside	134
	Writer, Teacher, Peaceful Warrior	138
	Counsel from a Veteran of the Writing Wars	144
	Coded Messages and Kindred Spirits	146
5.	Mentors
	A Gift to Myself	152
	My Dad Story	159
	Writing from the Heart	163
	Accused of Plagiarism--My Highest Compliment	171
	Sometimes the Biggest Are the Nicest	174
	So Long Lives This	179
	From Noah's Ark Writer to Bestseller	182
	Angels over My Keyboard	186
6.	Making a Difference
	Painting Portraits on Our Souls	194
	The Boy Who Saved Thousands of Lives	201
	The Christmas Box	204
	Writers in Prison	212
	A Season with the Great Sinclair Lewis	217
	Dean Has AIDS--A Father's Story	221
7.	Overcoming Obstacles
	In Spite of It All	226
	The Professor and Me	230
	You're a Loser, Cunningham	235
	The Obsession	240
	Sometimes Secret Writers	243
	How to Write Your Way Through College	246
	A New Yardstick	251
	Writing Is My Destiny	256
	Writing for My Health	260
8.	A Writer's Life
	Still Standing	266
	A Man Called Charlie Black	273
	Mixed Blessings	277
	Be Ready When Your Editor Calls	280
	Helen Help Us!	283
	A Bucket Full of Research	288
	Making a 'Pottment	290
	Summertime, and the Writin's NOT Easy	293
	Marriage and Metaphors: A Writer's Life On and Off the Pages	298
9.	The Power of Perseverance
	A Strange Thing Happened on the Way to OK	304
	Nothing Comes Easy	307
	The Courage of the Long-Distance Writer	310
	So He Must Be Right, Huh?	315
	Mommy, Please Write a Book for Me	319
	No One Faces Rejection More Often than an Author	322
	Learning from Rejection	328
	Consider This	332
	Some People Just Can't Take a Hint	337
	How I Want to Be Remembered	341
10.	Insights and Lessons
	The House on Phoenix Circle	346
	Nothing Unconnected Lasts	352
	Lesson of a Lifetime	356
	The Flop Artist Writer	362
	The Miraculous Link	367
	Power Lounging	370
	The Gift	376
	How to Be Madder than Captain Ahab	382
	Supporting Writers of the World	387
	More Chicken Soup?	388
	Who Is Jack Canfield?	389
	Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?	390
	Who Is Bud Gardner?	391
	Contributors	392
	Permissions	403