The Canine Channel

         We don't usually get satellite/cable channels, but now, we do...courtesy of our dog Foley.

         We now have our own furry, four-legged satellite dish. Point him in one direction, and you get HBO. You want Showtime? Shift him into another direction. Oh, you're in the mood for a little wife-murdering-her-no-good-husband? Turn Foley this way for the Lifetime Movie Network...

         Foley has two hot spots--places he's licked raw--so he now has to wear the  Cone of Shame until those spots heal.

     And in case you're thinking that the cone of shame has sucked up some of his precious brain cells (and you've jumped to the conclusion he's not the smartest dog, which would make you correct), if you're concerned that he's depressed because of this new accessory he's sporting, forgeddabowdit. This is Foley's normal facial expression...

     As Foley travels from spot to spot in our house, trying to find a place where he can lessen his embarrassment, some local St. Louis writers will be spotted as they sign the Not Your Mother's Book...On Travel. When? Sunday, June 2 from 1-3. Where? Main Street Books in St. Charles, Missouri. Who? Terri Elders (the co-creator), Linda O'Connell, Sheree Nielsen, Greg Lamping, me and of course...You.

    Wouldn't you like to support an independent book store and get the chance to rub shoulders with some local writers? (Linda O'Connell is nearing the "20" mark when it comes Chicken Soup stories, she's just finished her "Listen to Your Mother" international whirlwind tour, and she's waist-deep in her work as co-creator of one of Publishing Syndicate's anthologies. If you need to increase your luck in getting publishing, buying one of the books and getting it signed on Sunday will guarantee you greater writing success.)

     So stop by on Sunday. And if your cable is acting up, come over to my house. Foley will be glad to help you tune into the channel of your choice... 

Carry Yourself Like a Champion

      In less than a week, our dog Foley will be prancing around Purina's huge arena. It's the national Golden Retriever show, and when he makes his entrance, all eyes will be on him glazed over; they will be impressed aghast, because Foley does not look like the typical, show-quality Golden Retriever. So, even though it is only the "Rescue Parade," it seems our pooch will get a rosette to commemorate the occasion, and for one brief moment, he will run with the thoroughbred dogs.

      Once in a while, we've captured Foley looking like the typical Golden--head up, eyes alert, and posed in the perfect stance. Those times always involve a ball held out of the camera's view, because the only thing our dog loves is playing fetch. More than eating. More than taking a walk. Hurtling after a ball is his passion.

        As writers, we have to carry ourselves like dog show champs. We have to fluff and primp up our drafts, and prance from critique session to critique session, making sure our confidence is always intact. We have to keep whispering subliminal messages to ourselves, to ensure we don't get battered or beaten by critics and rejection.

       What kind of champion canine is your dog? What do they excel at?

or

       What kinds of things do you tell yourself to keep yourself on the writing path?
     

WWADD

           What would a dog do? 

        If we lived our lives like a dog lives their life, the world would be a better place. We'd be happy with the same food every day. We'd wag our tail a lot. We'd be happy even if our walk was occasionally cut short and wouldn't whine about it.  We'd sniff each other's butts and...Okay, perhaps that is one canine habit we don't have to adopt.

Foley---not the brightest bulb...I think he's looking up at the sun,
thinking, 'Hey!  That's a really huge ball. I wonder when they'll throw it for me?'

         On Sunday we had a family get-together at my mother-in-law's; since she lives just a couple of blocks from us, at some point, my husband got Foley and brought him down.

      My granddaughter, who's five, loved the idea of being in charge of someone/something else. After all, she's told all day what to do and how to do it and when to do it. So she was enthralled with being able to walk Foley around on his leash.

     Unfortunately, Foley was not thrilled. He was in a fenced-in yard. 'What's with the leash?' he wondered. He wanted to play ball. Being led around by a little kid was stupid, from his perspective.

      But he tolerated it. And made the best of the situation. As Riley walked him around, he got to smell a few good smells. There were breaks where she'd drop the leash and he'd get to chase the ball for a while.

       As writers, as teachers, as humans doing their best to keep their head above the water--here's my lame analogy, Hope--we try to make a bad situation work for us. If we get a piece rejected, we revise it so we can submit it to a different publication. If we face writer's block head on, we put the piece away for a while and let it marinade. If we get a story shot down, we tweak it, we revamp it, and send it out again.

       Be like Foley. Turn a negative situation inside out...Put a positive spin on it. And don't stop trying...