By Kathy Brown.
Chicken Soup for the Soul has published more than 250 titles, selling over 100 million books within the U.S. and Canada. In the latest edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive, Live Happy, which was released on Sept. 24, 2019, local author, Higganum resident, Art Wiknik, contributed a story entitled, “The Mickey Mouse Watch,” his tenth story published in the series.
According to their press release, the publisher said these are “101 stories about people using a constructive mindset to do the impossible, whether they are achieving success despite predictions to the contrary, coming back from trauma and disasters, or rebooting their lives through their mindsets and force of will.” Deborah Norville, who coauthored the book with Amy Newmark, Chicken Soup for the Soul’s editor in chief, said, “There are times when a role model is required, someone to emulate as you try to pick yourself up, take that deep breath and find a way to move forward.” Art Wiknik is one such role model.
Wiknik said that the competition is fierce to be published in this series. According to Wiknik, Chicken Soup for the Soul receives 3,000-5,000 submissions for each title, and only select 101 stories for publication. According to their submission guidelines, the “inspirational, true story about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences” must be under 1200 words.
When asked about his writing experience, Art Wiknik said, “Each story I submit has to be a subject that I am passionate about or that I know intimately. I am also fanatical about punctuation, grammar, keeping the story line tight and concise. A 400-700 word story may not sound like a lot but I will edit it up to ten times until I think it is perfect then put it aside. A day or two later I will look at it again to be sure I have not missed anything, then submit. If I get published, it is a personal accomplishment. If I get rejected, I just try again with a different story.”
He said that several of his stories were not selected but “I do not let rejection turn me off because that that is just part of the process. Actually, rejection has made me a better writer.”
The story that was selected for this edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul was about getting a Mickey Mouse watch from a friend while in Vietnam doing guard duty. That Mickey Mouse watch reminded him of home, and in so doing, gave him courage when he was feeling low. To this day, Wiknik wears a Mickey Mouse watch to remind him of the obstacles he has overcome. For Wiknik, “after serving in Vietnam and having the unfortunate experience of watching young men die in combat, I often look at my life as a gift because I could have just as easily never come home. . . Today, I am extremely proud of my service and honored to have fought alongside some very special men far braver than me. So, I write. Sharing stories of the past, demonstrates that people in general are not so different, no matter what era we are living in.”
