Catholic Writing and Publishing – Page 37

Is It Possible That They Really DON’T Care?

August 7, 2012/14 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing/by Larry Peterson

I have encapsulated myself within an illusion. The illusion was that the vast majority of the young Catholic folks (let’s go with 40 and under) of today do not understand the faith the way that they should. So, what way was that? I attended Catholic school in the 50’s and early 60’s. Yeah, yeah–I’m a died-in-the-wool senior citizen, and I have been getting coffee discounts for a long time–sorry, I digress. Anyway, my illusion has been smashed to smithereens. It is not that they don’t understand the faith; it is that they just don’t give a damn. Man–that changes everything.

Look, I read this survey on “why Catholics do not go to Mass”. Back in the early 1960’s almost 75% of Catholics attended Mass on Sunday. Today we are at 23%. Dang, that is unbelievable. What happened? Here comes the smashing of the illusion, the brick through the plate glass window, the shattering of the unthinkable. According to the survey, 62% of “Catholics” who do not go to Mass on Sunday do not go because—GET READY, because they “do not care”. I was expecting job requirements, or family responsibilities, or maybe illness, or taking care of bed-ridden relatives as a primary reason for not attending Mass. Astonishingly, these reasons were in the low twentieth percentile. “Do not care”, “It’s no big deal”, “I need my sleep”, “it is not a sin” do not simply lead the pack of reasons, they trounce the other reasons. It is like Secretariat winning the Belmont Stakes by 30 lengths over 30 years ago. No contest.

So, why don’t the young folks care? All I can come up with is, They do not know. That’s right, they do not know squat. They have not been taught squat and therefore it is not their fault. Mention the word “Incarnation” to a post- 1970 Catholic and see how many have even heard of it, no less have an answer for it, and that is the central mystery of our faith. How about the difference between an epistle and a gospel, or what is the “paten” or an alb or a chasuble. Ask why we say “The Word was made Flesh”, or what is Transubstantiation? They do not have a clue and these thing are uniquely Catholic, part of our traditions, part of who we are as a faith community. We all have our personal family traditions, especially around the holidays. Marriage combines traditions. But they are NEVER discarded or ignored or, God forbid, demeaned as “old fashioned”. We cherish them and carry them onward and forward and embrace them as OURS.

Vatican II was never a call to “purge”. It was a call to “renew”. It is time to get back to teaching tradition and embracing it. We owe it to the young folks.There are over two thousand years of it to draw from, and there is so much beauty in it, and they would love it if they could only get to know it. It would be as if they went to Ancestry.com and found a great, great, great, uncle who had been a King, and now they KNEW for a fact that He was actually a part of their family. How cool would that be for someone.

Art and Faith, as They Intersect in Writing

July 26, 2012/5 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Inspirational, Marketing Your Work, Religious Liberty, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

We recently observed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Fortnight of Freedom, and this might be a good time to look at writing as an expression of our journey and expression of faith.

Regular readers of this blog are most likely members of Catholic Writers Guild – which means we are Catholic, and we love to write. For many of us, these two passions intersect in what we write, as in blogs, articles, or books about being Catholic in today’s world. In nonfiction, this is straightforward. The audience and purpose of such works provide a framework for sharing both the writer’s journey and/or expression of a specific aspect of faith.

Fiction, my personal love, can be a bit trickier. How does an author express their faith within the conventions of their chosen genre? We’ve all read books where it’s done poorly, usually resulting in a preachy tone as grating as fingernails on chalkboard. I’m reminded of Barbara Nicolosi’s comment from the 2012 Catholic Writers Conference Online: My theory is that the secular world is not anti-Catholic as much as it is anti-bad art.

When viewed through that lens, our priority as writers or artists is to learn and hone our craft. It doesn’t matter how important our message is if it is badly executed. Read books on the craft of writing. Take classes. Ask for feedback – and listen to it. The most successful writers recognize that they need to continually strive to improve.

We also have a responsibility to learn and understand our religion. I’m preaching to the choir here, but there is always something deeper, more sublime, more elemental to discover about the challenges (and rewards) of being Catholic. We have to be well-catechized in order to articulate what we need or want to convey in written format.

The great news is, that in fiction, who you are will come out in your writing, even if you don’t spell out your beliefs in the imaginary world inhabited by your characters. Think of St. Francis of Assisi. Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. Well, we can’t write without words, but we can write great fiction without being overbearing about our faith. Readers will accept just about anything in a character, as long as the character is authentic, has depth and complexity, and is true to his or her motivations, flaws and all.

We’ve all read stories where the characters act in ways that make us cringe or gasp or squirm, but we keep reading because the author has done such a good job. We are eager to accompany the character on his or her journey. That’s our calling. To write so well that readers are willing to follow a character they don’t necessarily agree with because they want to better understand them.

I suspect most of CWG’s members pray before they write (or draw or make music or however we choose to create) and that’s where we all need to begin. Pray. Discern. Perhaps education or beauty is more important than exhortation. Keep in mind that your readers will not be in the same place you are on their spiritual journey – and we are all on a spiritual journey, whether we realize it or not. On a personal level, God has touched me through works of fiction in which I least expected to hear His voice. Never underestimate what He can (and will) do through us, whether or not we are aware.

Take courage, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and use the gift of talent with which God has graced you. Create art that illuminates a vision of God. None of us can see God, but we can express our experience, and the light we reflect may aid a fellow traveler in life.

Now. Words matter. Go forth, write and create, and bear fruit in a world that hungers for it.

How do you approach your craft in a way that changes our world? How does faith inform your art? Do you think of those concepts as you toil over the keyboard, searching for just the right word to express the idea in your mind’s eye? What gives you joy as you create?

The Importance of a Good Cover

July 9, 2012/7 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

A book’s cover is the first thing a prospective reader sees so it is important that it be professionally created. If it is poorly designed or if it is too simplistic, it can turn your reader away. I know of some self-published books in which the story and writing were pretty good, but the covers screamed “Self-published!”

In these days of digital printing and e-copies, a good cover also needs to look interesting in thumbnail.

With traditional publishing, the author may not have much say regarding the cover. However, with self-publishing, the author has 100 percent responsibility for making sure the cover is professionally created.

I cannot stress enough the importance of hiring a professional cover designer. In my case, my husband (James Hrkach) is an artist and he has designed all my covers.

Some self-publishing websites also offer cover design services. However, if you want a professional looking cover and not too simplistic, it’s better to hire a cover designer. Ask fellow authors for recommendations. Do an online search. Cover designers are as diverse as authors. Look for a designer whose portfolio includes covers which are professionally done and thematically in line with your book’s topic.

Once you’ve hired a designer, it’s important to work with him or her to create a cover design which sets the mood for your book and intrigues a prospective reader.

Two things an author should realize with regard to good cover design is that:

1) one of the most important things about a cover design is the composition
2) artistic/visual composition is probably one of the things authors/writers know the least about

Look for books which have interesting designs and ask yourself:

What’s the theme?
Why does the layout work?
What’s the emotion?
What’s being represented?
Do the lines, color and composition support the theme?

A book’s cover is a marketing device. Professionally produced covers will not only enhance your book, they will also help in marketing it to prospective readers.

Why Attend the Live Conference?

July 6, 2012/0 Comments/in Catholic Writers Conference Live, Catholic Writing and Publishing, CWG Member News, Encouragement for Writers, The Writing Life/by Karina Fabian

Is it worth attending the live conference? Daria Sockey shares her experience:*

At last years’ Catholic Writers Conference, I made a book pitch to Servant Publications acquisitions editor Claudia Volkman. She thought the idea had merit and encouraged me to submit a full proposal, which I did about a month later. It was a long wait. Getting impatient, I sent a (nice) “nag” email to Claudia in January. She reassured me that my book was still under consideration. It was quite an education to learn about the mysterious “marketing team” and the lengthy process required to vet a proposal. To make a long story short, I signed a contract in early June. The Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours will appear in Spring 2013!

I am so very grateful to CWG, because without the pitch sessions I don’t think I’d have a book contract today. The idea of writing a full proposal and sending it to a faceless publisher would have been too intimidating. And running a close second to my timidity was my laziness: who wants to do all the work of writing a proposal without having at least a hint that it might not be all for nothing? Receiving some friendly encouragement from a real human being who worked for a publisher made all the difference in the world, enabling me to take the next step and write the actual proposal.

I’m not sure whether I can manage to go to Arlington this year. After all, I have a manuscript deadline coming up. (How delicious to say that!) But I want to encourage everyone who has an idea, an outline, or half a chapter of a possible book to sign up for those pitch sessions. It’s true that a positive response to your pitch is not a promise of publication. But hearing an editor say, “yes, we would be interested in your proposal” makes all the difference in the world. I can’t recommend the CWG pitch sessions enough.

* Reprinted with permission. Daria’s articles on Catholic life have appeared in many publications. She authored several of the original Ignatius Press Faith and Life catechisms, and was a Senior Writer for Faith and Family Magazine until it ceased publication this year. She now writes for Catholic Digest. Her upcoming book will introduce Catholic laity to the “prayer of the whole people of God”, aka the Liturgy of the Hours. She blogs about the same topic at Coffee&Canticles and also at Catholic Exchange She’s a mother of seven and a grandmother of one.

Independence Day & Fortnight 4 Freedom–“In God We Trust”

July 3, 2012/0 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Religious Liberty/by Larry Peterson

This July 4th it seems to me that forces have collided creating a perfect storm. People of all faiths have united together for a non-denominational holy day, with the Catholics on the front line willing to be the first to take the bullets. I know I am proud that our bishops who, led by Cardinal Dolan who heads the USCCB, and waving the banner, Fortnight 4 Freedom, have led us to this point, remaining steadfast in their determination to protect our religious freedoms.

Now I would like to remember the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, people of all faiths, who joined together 236 years ago creating Independence Day.
A cover letter, dated in Philadelphia, July 6, 1776, was attached to the Declaration of Independence and sent to the British authorities wherein John Hancock states:

Gentlemen, Although it is not possible to foresee the consequences of human actions, yet it is nevertheless a duty we owe ourselves and posterity in all our public councils to decide in the best manner we are able and to trust the event to That Being who governs both causes and events, so as to bring about his own determinations.

Impressed with this sentiment, and at the same time fully convinced that our affairs will take a more favorable turn, The Congress have judged it necessary to dissolve all connection between Great Britain and the American Colonies, and to declare them free and independent States as you will perceive by the enclosed Declaration, which I am directed to transmit to you.”

How many of us have actually thought about the 56 men who signed this document and willingly presented their names to the British? Did you ever think about the fact that at that moment, they all became traitors to the British crown? They and their families were in mortal danger from that moment on. Notice in the first paragraph above the use of the phrase, “That Being”, referring to God. That was their ultimate motive–to be FREE, and that very first freedom they were willing to die for was RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. These men pledged to each other the following: “with a firm Reliance and the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor”. This is in the very last line of the Declaration of Independence.

So on July 4th we not only celebrate our American freedoms, we honor those men who fought and died for it. Signers of the Declaration like Thomas McKean, who had to keep his family in hiding, who served in Congress without pay, had all his possessions taken from him and wound up in poverty. Or Francis Lewis who had his home and properties destroyed. The British jailed his wife and she died a few months after. John Hart of New Jersey was driven from his wife’s bedside as she lay dying and his 13 children fled for their lives. Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, were tortured and died. Twelve had their homes destroyed. They were farmers and merchants and lawyers and men from all walks of life; they joined together to pass down to us their hopes and dreams, and were willing to die for their principles. Many of them did just that.

Now it is 2012 and our religious freedoms, the very principles that the founders of our country were willing to die for, are being seriously threatened. A secular world has declared a war on God, and would like to see His name removed from anything in the public domain. Our own president, when talking about the Declaration of Independence, has omitted the word “Creator” many times. He is making a mistake. “Our Creator” is at the very core of what this nation stands for. We may have taken a detour here and there but, I believe, that when all is said and done it will always be “God Bless America” and “God Bless the USA”. He is in our genetics and our DNA and, according to science, you cannot change DNA.

We ask God’s blessings for all of us Americans on this 4th of July, 2012.

“In God We Trust”.

New Evangelizers Blog Seeking Catholic Bloggers

June 30, 2012/0 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, CWG News and Announcements, Marketing Your Work/by Sarah Reinhard

I’m writing today to ask you if you might be interested in writing for the New Evangelizers blog.

We’re trying to put together a team of writers/bloggers to write about the New Evangelization and build up both the content and the audience at New Evangelizers. Our goal is to have someone writing

In the event that you are interested, I’m including the guidelines below.

Please pray about it and let me know if you might be interested in it. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who you know who might be interested, to share it on your blogs and social networks, and to send anyone who’s interested my way.

That said, here’s the caveat: I’m offline next week due to family travel. (Smile, wouldja? It’s likely to be a hilarious picture.) So if you don’t hear back from me in a timely manner, know that I will do my best when I return (and maybe even from my iPad while I’m hiding in a bathroom in a rest stop somewhere, but you DID NOT hear that from me).

Many blessings and thanks!

New Evangelizers Blog Writers Guidelines:

Thank you for being willing to be part of the New Evanglizers blog writing team! We ask that you keep your writing 100% in line with the teachings of the Church. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to pay for submissions, but will be happy to work with you to promote your work and writing projects.

Items we need to get started:

1. Your first two column submissions sent to Sarah Reinhard at blog@snoringscholar.com – you can send them as Word docs or within the body of an email. Please include “New Evangelizers submissions” in the subject line. If you have images, please attach those separately (not in the body of the doc).

Column/post guidelines:

Word count of less than 2000 words. The average blog post is around 500 words, but can be shorter (Sarah has been averaging 300 words with her weekly posts).
Feel free to be personable, but please only write things that somehow tie into New Evangelization and specifically with ideas of how to Know Your Faith, Live Your Faith, and Share Your Faith (which is the motto of New Evangelizers).
Your writings may also tie into any of the other missions of New Evangelizers (Rosary Army, Total Consecration, Promote Catholicism, That Catholic Show, The Catholics Next Door), but with an emphasis on how those things tie into New Evangelization (for example, Rosary Army and Total Consecration help people develop better spirituality (Know and Live Your Faith), etc.
Please note, you must have full permissions to use any images you want attached to your entries. These can be royalty-free photos or your own originals, but you need to procure permissions for images that will be included with your blog entry.

2. A digital author photo

3. A brief bio paragraph – this will appear at the bottom of your columns, so please include any links, projects you would like to promote, etc.

4. Your scheduling preference: weekly, biweekly, or monthly. When you give me your submission schedule preference, I will assign you dates on our publication calendar and notify you of your schedule. We ask that you submit your contribution the week prior to your scheduled run date or notify me that you will be unable to submit by that deadline. This helps me with planning and balancing content on the website.

5. Contact information, including your mailing address and a telephone number. This will remain confidential and is for internal New Evangelizers purposes only.

6. Facebook Page – We are working on getting our Facebook page active. Please go to https://www.facebook.com/NewEvangelizers and “like” the page so that you can be tagged and mentioned in posts on the Facebook page.

Submission Guidelines & Procedures:

Send your New Evangelizers submissions 1 week prior to your scheduled run date to Sarah Reinhard with “New Evangelization submission” in your subject line.

If you can’t make your scheduled slot, please notify us. This helps with planning and balancing content on the website.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions – we look forward to getting to know you and sharing your writing!

An Answer to The Obamacare “Tax”: Make the Government Show Its Villainy

June 28, 2012/1 Comment/in Catholic Writing and Publishing/by Karina Fabian

So, the Supreme Court has upheld “Obamacare,” calling it a tax.

The good news is that Congress can decide to repeal taxes. (Nice of the Supreme Court to pass the buck like that—way to show moral fortitude, guys!) So as Catholics, it’s up to us to vote in a Congress that will repeal Obamacare.

In the meantime, however, our Church in America is in a fine fix. How can it stand as a bastion of morality and conscience in light of this decision? A lot of people will say that Catholic services—from counseling to adoption to universities—will simply have to shut down rather than comply with the law. Others will say, “We fought the good fight; now we must comply and pray.” There a harder road, however, but I pray that we will take it.

Don’t comply. Make the government take the fight to us. Refuse as an organization to buy insurance that includes the “abortion option,” and refuse to pay the fine. To protect the employees of the Church and its many wonderful organizations, increase their pay to cover what they would have been putting in for the insurance, and let them decide how to purchase their own. That is individual choice.

Don’t comply, and don’t stop caring for others. Rather, make the government shut down our services.

If Catholic organizations acquiesce to the Obamacare tax, they are acquiescing to a great sin. The USCCB has been saying this for months; we can’t back down now. However, we should not be the “bad guy” by refusing to help others because the government is forcing the morals of the Catholic Church. This goes for all religious organizations that follow their conscience. Let the government force our hand. Let the government show its villainy in fact as well as theory.

Maybe then, America will wake up.

The Fortnight of Prayer continues. Pray for our nation. Pray that we remember we were founded to secure liberty, not comfort; and pray that we will have the strength of our founding fathers to weather this terrible storm in our nation’s history.

They Need to Stay Out of Our Faith

June 5, 2012/10 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Religious Liberty/by Larry Peterson

I’m tired folks. Not because I am a senior citizen or because my back hurts or because I am a cancer survivor. All of that stuff is GOOD. I am tired and worn out from being slapped upside the head because I am Catholic. Yeah–just like all of you here– Catholic. It seems we go along day after day, year after year, and watch and hear our faith denigrated and mocked by a secular world where the slightest hint of a moral boundary professed or defended is ridiculed. God forbid anyone (especially someone who represents our church) attempts to say “NO” to anyone of “modern virtue” who has their own ideas as to what our faith should be.

I am a blue-collar Catholic guy who loves his faith and his church (just like all of you) and that is all there is to it. My three priorities have always been: God, Family, and Country—in that order. But you see, no one ever bothered us about that, right? God bless the framers of the Constitution. Were they SMART. Freedom of Religion–the very first amendment. They knew what kind of lid had to be placed on the pressure cooker of diversity that was to be America. They knew that religion transcended man-made law. It made things either right or wrong. It said yes and no, it gave us a “right thing to do”, it provided a moral compass. Ah, “yes and no”—how archaic to so many in our sophisticated and secular 21st century world. Yet, how beautiful and reassuring to so many others. Such a paradox.

Look, we go to Mass on Sunday and some of us, if possible, might go every day. And then, on occasion, we like to pay a “visit” to our church. It does not matter where the church is located. Anywhere in the world is just fine. They may look different but they are all the same. Jesus is there. For real. We believe that. We know that for a fact. It is a faith thing. We can stop in for five minutes just to say “Hi Jesus” or we can sit for five hours and talk to Him or not talk to Him. He doesn’t care. He’s always happy to visit with us. If anyone has a problem with that—oh well, Freedom of Religion—remember. Faith is that great intangible. Illogical if you have not been given it. Wondrous if you have embraced it.

So, what’s my problem? Well, first of all I thought that we were supposed to live our faith 24/7. I mean, when I leave church, is that it? Haven’t I gone to church to be nourished and reinforced, so when I leave the church and confront the world outside I am prepared to do my best to live up to my beliefs? And now, unprecedented in American history, an administration in power is telling us that when we go OUTSIDE our church we must violate our beliefs under penalty of breaking the law, facing a fine or even imprisonment. They have even suggested that we have declared a “war on women” because we are refusing to give contraception to women. Have THEY LOST THEIR MINDS? President Nixon signed Title X into law in 1970 , 42 years ago, and contraception on demand has been available all over the country ever since.

This first Tuesday of the month blog is supposed to be about ‘writing stuff’. Well, I am writing a little bit different here. I think it is what all of us have to do more of as writers. Write more about our faith that is being held under siege. I am tired of this unrelenting attack on our faith, supposedly being waged under the banner of “virtue”. What a crock. Maybe we should close all the Catholic hospitals and schools, foundling homes, Catholic Charities, the St. Vincent De Paul Society and HIV/AIDS Centers, homes for the deaf and the blind and the homeless. Have they LOST THEIR MINDS? They need to stay out of our faith and we need to, following the example of our bishops, defend it.

May 27, 2012/0 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing/by Karina Fabian

In loving memory of those who died to protect this country, physically and spiritually. We pray for them and for the future of our nation. May their sacrifice never be in vain.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host –
by the Divine Power of God –
cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Promote Catholicism Today (and Always) #silenceandword

May 24, 2012/1 Comment/in Catholic Writing and Publishing/by Sarah Reinhard

Sunday, May 20 was World Communications Day. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read Pope Benedict XVI’s message, “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.”

Here’s a sampling from the beginning:

Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible. It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other.

Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing. It’s a must-read for writers and communicators.

Yesterday, inspired by the folks at New Evangelizers, I was silent on all my social networks and even took down a blog post I had scheduled at my place.

Today, in keeping with the mission of Promote Catholicism Day, I’m going to attempt to answer “What in Catholic Media has had an impact on me during the past year?”

I could list a lot of things, but when I stop to think about it, it’s always about the people:

the people who produce the content,
the people who put it out there on blogs and podcasts,
the people who share in the communities online,
the people I connect with through my own online work,
the people who pray and ask for prayers,
the people who make this virtual Church real and a viable part of the Body of Christ.

The way these people have had an impact on my life has varied. Some of them have become prayer warriors with me or for me. Others have taught me about my faith, inspired me with their wisdom, heartened me with their humor. Many of them have become close friends in Christ.

How would you answer? Go to the forum at New Evangelizers and use #silenceandword to hashtag your posts for Twitter.