CWG Member News: November 2022

CWG Member News: November 2022

Supporting Your Writing Season

Here we are, well into fall in the northern hemisphere. The red maple tree outside my daughters’ bedroom window is beautiful, isn’t it? Especially with the Blessed Mother there in front of it.

Every season has beauty here. The brilliant white of winter, the vibrant blossoms of spring, the lush green of summer, and the colorful foliage of fall.

Every season has its beauty and its challenges, both our natural seasons and the varied seasons of our lives. Seasons of burgeoning creativity and seasons where our priorities shift. Sometimes caregiving, parenting, illness, injury, and work take the forefront.

The challenge in every season is to prioritize wisely, keeping our faith and family at the forefront. It’s okay to have seasons when writing takes a backseat. It’s also okay to make room for writing.

The Catholic Writers Guild wants to come along side you in those journeys, a unique melding of faith and your writing life. Please see below for our upcoming opportunities.

Also, it’s almost time for our annual elections! Keep an eye out for a nomination message in your inbox next week!

And finally, the Guild has signed a contract for re-branding and updating our website!  The Guild will have a new, more contemporary look, a more user-friendly website, and a new opportunity for easy member communication. (Not on Facebook? Don’t like Discord? That’s okay. We’ll make this simple.) Look for positive changes coming soon!

Carolyn Astfalk
President

Register at CatholicWritersGuild.org/onlineconference

Social Media Spotlight

Seal of Approval

• Mon., January 16
• Fri., April 14
• Fri., July 14
• Fri., September 15

Volunteer Corner

Annual officer elections are just around the corner! Please take a few moments to consider whether you are being called to serve your fellow Catholic writers as an officer in 2023.

We’re seeking a new author coordinator for our Seal of Approval Committee. Thanks to Patrice MacArthur, who has filled this role for many years. Her service is greatly appreciated.

Patrice left a detailed description of her volunteer role, which will make it easy for a new volunteer to step into the job.

Very simply, the author coordinator prepares the spreadsheet before the start of each submission period (four times/year), communicates with submitting authors as to whether their submission has been accepted or if they are waitlisted, updates the spreadsheet to reflect new applications, and uploads book files to the appropriate folder. (Familiarity with Google Drive is helpful.)

If you’re able to take on this role, please email [email protected]. Thank you!

Check Your Spam!

If you’re waiting on a reply from an official Guild email account (one ending in catholicwritersguild.com or catholicwritersguild.org), please be sure to check your spam or junk folder. Unfortunately, our messages have a way of ending up there.

If you’ve not received a reply to a message in a reasonable amount of time, please checking your junk or spam folder before resending your message.

With rare exception, I personally reply to messages within 2-3 days, maximum.

Copyright 2022 Carolyn Astfalk
Photo copyright 2022 Carolyn Astfalk, all rights reserved.