Have You Expired? CWG Newsletter, August 2022

This message comes to you a few days later than I’d hoped. Our little world was upended by the adorable puppy pictured below. Tillie has been with us three days now, and she is a wonderful addition to our home and family.

Tillie arrived somewhat unexpectedly. When I texted my oldest son, who’s 19, that his dad and I were bringing a dog home, he thought we were being incredibly irresponsible. As a good son, he was careful not to say it quite that bluntly, but I confirmed that’s what he was thinking.

His feelings about this seemingly spontaneous decision weren’t unwarranted. When we brought Tillie home we had no dog dish, collar, or leash. The living room floor was littered with the little kids’ LEGO sets. The dining room had piles of papers from the last school year that needed to be sorted. The only place we had ready for this dog was our hearts.

Sentimental maybe, but not practical.

It seemed a rash decision. But we’d been thinking about what kind of dog we wanted for months. Tillie checked all the boxes. Every last one.

As I told my son, we weren’t entirely ready for him or his siblings either, but that worked out okay.

We really were ready enough for Tillie. We knew what we wanted. We have a large, safe, fenced-in yard for her to run and play. And we have six people ready to love and care for her.

Sure we needed to do some housecleaning and buy some supplies, but the biggest obstacle was the simple but necessary act of actually getting the puppy. And that required an element of spontaneity.

I find that’s been my biggest obstacle to writing over the past couple of years: just doing it.

When people ask about my writing progress, I’m quick to tell them how things were upended here when my kids were all sent home from school due to the pandemic in March 2020. Life was topsy turvy. A year of genuine homeschooling followed. Then I took a part-time job. I just couldn’t find time to write.

As true as it is – and believe me, there have been many obligations taking my time – I’d been allowing those excuses to keep me from taking that necessary step. Just writing.

I’d spent years mulling over stories and characters. I simply needed to do something that wasn’t on the schedule, that there wasn’t room for in the schedule. Just writing.

Conditions weren’t – aren’t – perfect for writing. I have a list of chores and duties a mile long. I’m not entirely ready to write. My stories aren’t entirely complete, even in my head.

But I’m ready enough.

If you’re waiting for the perfect time to begin that next writing project, in my experience, that time will never come. Conditions will never be perfect. There will always be something else clamoring for your time and attention.

We all have obligations that should take precedence—God and family, obviously. But somewhere after those priorities, if God is calling you to write, you’re going to need to take that leap.

Your’e ready enough. Just write.

Catholic Writers Conference at Momentum ’22 a Success!

I’ve heard and read so many positive comments about the recent Catholic Writers Guild conference at the Catholic Marketing Network’s Momentum ’22. So many of you who attended have been reinvigorated for your personal projects and sharing your enthusiasm for the Guild and its efforts.

Thanks to Amy Cattapan, who chaired the event. Thanks, too, to the many volunteers who assisted her, especially committee heads CWG Vice President Barb Szyszkiewicz (volunteers), Stephanie Landsem (pitch sessions), Carmela Martino (speakers & scheduling) Amanda Lauer (sponsorships), Tony Kolenc (speaker introductions), Karina Fabian (Meals with Mentors) and Leslea Wahl (marketing).

Conference chair Amy J. Cattapan (r) with speaker Deacon Harold Sivers

Thank you to each of our presenters and panelists, who brought so much valuable information and encouragement to the attendees. For those that volunteered in the trade show booth, your assistance was invaluable.

Barb Szyszkiewicz reported: “All told, our volunteers logged more than 70 hours among 14 volunteers (not including conference committee members or mentors who did not also sign up as volunteers). They are truly the heartbeat of the live conference! We even had a few drop-in volunteers, and they always showed up right when we needed them most.”

And, finally, thank you to those who prayed for the conference and its attendees. Your prayers were felt.

Next up: Catholic Writers Conference Online in February 2023. See below!

Are You Expired?

Please take a few minutes to log in at CatholicWritersGuild.org and check your membership status. Perhaps you missed the reminder to renew or simply forgot. (You may be surprised that you’ve long been expired!)

In order to remain eligible for the online conference member discount, free submissions for the Seal of Approval, and continued access to our members-only groups (Facebook, Discord, MeWe), you’ll need to have an active membership.

By renewing your membership, not only do you benefit, but you support the Guild’s goals as we seek to offer more and better opportunities for you, such as awards, retreats, conferences, and an upgraded website.

Renew today!

Register now for the online conference!

Volunteer Corner

So many opportunities, formal and informal, come through volunteering. When you volunteer for one of the Guild’s projects, you develop relationships in ways simple membership does not allow. While your service obviously benefits the Guild at large, it benefits you as well.

The Seal of Approval Committee is always seeking volunteers. The more volunteer evaluators we have, the more books we can evaluate each quarter. We’d love to avoid putting any member books on a waiting list.

If you’re interested in volunteering as an evaluator, please send a message to [email protected]. Online training is provided. As a perk, you get to read other Catholic authors’ digital books for free! Each quarter there are a variety of books for children, teens, and adults, both fiction and nonfiction. Sometimes, poetry.

Are you on LinkedIn? So are we.

I’ve been dusting off our LinkedIn page, hoping to make it more active and useful. If you have a LinkedIn account, please follow the Guild and considering adding your membership to your resume.

Seal of Approval

The Seal of Approval application opens for the 4th quarter on Thursday, September 1, 2022 at Noon EDT. When open, you can access the Seal of Approval Application Form. Reminder: If your book has received an Imprimatur, it is ineligible for the Seal of Approval but receives all benefits associated with the Seal. More information on the Seal of Approval process.