Tag Archive for: karina fabian

Karina Teaches Worldbuilding – Lesson 6

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 6. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2,  Lesson 3, Lesson 4, and Lesson 5.

Culture is roughly anything we do and the monkeys don’t.  –Lord Raglan

Probably even more important to your story than the history, military, or economic and political structure, is the culture. This adds spice to your story and defines your character. What do your characters do when they enter that universal pub that so many fantasy worlds have, or have to work with a new alien? Here you can find fertile ground for jokes, insults, conflict and even philosophical discussion.

Value System:

  • What are the values society treasures most? Leadership? Compliance? Ingenuity?
  • What are their attitudes toward children? The elderly? Lesser life forms (pets, wild animals, etc.)? The environment?
  • What’s considered success? Beauty? Intelligence?
  • What are good manners?

Education:

  • How much education do children get? Where do they receive it? How?
  • What topics are required? What are encouraged?
  • Do adults continue their education? Must they? Is education tied into promotions, or are native intelligence and natural skill more important?

Religion:

  • God: There’s no religion without a Higher Power (or powers, as the case may be.) Who or what are they outside of your people’s beliefs? (For convenience, I’ll refer to God as “He.” Of course, your world may consider God a she, it or something beyond gender.)
  • Believers: Religion must have followers. Who are they? What makes some of them more faithful than others? How do they experience their faith? Is your religion reserved for a certain section of the population? Is there a hierarchy of believers?
  • Relationship with God: What kind of God do these people believe in? How do they imagine Him, speak with Him, and believe He thinks about them (Loving? Wrathful? Jealous?) What does He want from them? Is He personal, like in the Christian religion, or some kind of encompassing force, like in the Jedi religion?
  • Method of communicating with God: Can they talk to God? Do they pray? Does He answer? If so, how? Does God grant graces or have special sacraments?
  • Method of worship: Is there organized group worship? If so, what are the rituals and requirements? Is it necessary?
  • Rules of living: What does God require of these people? What sacrifices does He ask? What rules of interacting with other sentients (or non-sentients) has He laid down? What commandments, laws, exhortations are there? What happens to those who do not live up to standards (heaven, hell, purgatory, mortal reward or punishment, etc.)? How does their religion deal with enemies—or aliens?
  • Spreading faith: Do they evangelize? Is faith instinctive or do they learn it? How do they grow spiritually? Are there rituals for spiritual growth?
  • Philosophy: How does their religion answer “Why?” Why is the sky blue? Why can I think and feel? Why do good or bad things happen? Why are we the way we are?
  • Record: How are the tenets of religion passed down? Is there a written (or equivalent) Word of God? Is it literal, allegorical, historical? What are the stories of their faith?
  • Roles: Are there prophets? Priests? Teachers? Saints? Angels? Demons?
  • Spirituality: How is it experienced? Expressed?
  • Symbology: What symbols does your religion have and what do they mean? A real-world example: if a red candle is lit in the sacristy (by the altar) of a Catholic church, it means Christ is physically present via the Consecrated Host. Symbols can be drawings or objects, gestures or words, clothing or constructs—but they all have (or had) meaning.

 Nit noids:

  • How are things named? Why?
  • What do people do for fun?
  • What are the bathrooms like?
  • How is their language structured? In my Dragon Eye, PI universe, the elves have a complex syntax and form of conversation: to say “Excuse me” is a ritual that involves recognizing the other person’s station in life compared to your own, the severity of the offence and several other factors.
  • What makes them laugh? Cry?

For More Reading:

A good way to come up with an alien culture is to read about new cultures and adapt it to your world. Read up on a place or religion you’re not familiar with.

Karina Teaches Worldbuilding – Lesson 5

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 5. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2,  Lesson 3, and Lesson 4.

To seek out new life and new civilizations…  –Star Trek

Worlds are more than physics, and stories are more than settings. The most interesting thing about a world and the usual spot for conflict lies in the society that inhabits the world. Whether you have an intergalactic civilization with a history longer than the entire existence of the Earth or a small exploration group on an uncharted asteroid, you need to know how that society runs.

How much do you need to know? It depends on your story, your universe, and your own plans. David Weber has a complex and detailed universe for his Honor Herrington novels, and it shows. A short story, however, may only need a couple of important facts; the rest is immaterial. I once chatted with an author whose novel was unmanageably long because he was including every detail, right down to the history and construction of the blades used in a swordfight. One chatter suggested he was writing the world’s encyclopedia or an online game manual rather than a story.

Dream up as much of the background as you can and wish to, but don’t let it interfere with the story. Here are some things to consider:

 History:

  •   How did your country/world/empire come to be?
  •   Who were the major historic figures? (soldiers, statesmen, explorers, workers for peace, famous criminals, scientists, religious leaders, people not in power who do major things)
  •   What inventions changed their world?

Always start with those that affect your character, story and setting. For example, in the United States, every child grows up learning about George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and Pearl Harbor. In Colorado, however, kids will be more familiar with the explorer Zebulon Pike, while in Fredericksburg, VA, students learn about the apothecary and General Hugh Mercer.

 Military:

  • Are there a lot of wars on your world? Over what?
  • How does your society feel about war and the military? How does your character feel?
  • Does your character belong to a conquering “nation” or a conquered one? Or does his nation avoid battle, preferring negotiation or neutrality?

If needed, you can map out some of the major battles. Think not only about the ones that forged the civilization(s) you’re writing about, but also the area. In a real-world example, Fredericksburg, VA (where we used to live) was the site of several important battles in the American Civil War. Thus, you can’t walk for a block downtown without seeing something from that era – whether a statue of General Lee, a historical marker, a souvenir shop, or a Confederate Flag proudly displayed next to the Stars and Stripes. My husband has a Civil War sword that his neighbors dug out of their back yard.

 Economic:

  • How do people acquire things? Not all societies have a cash or barter system. In my world of Kanaan, people work for the joy of creating or performing a service and freely give away their wares. Lesser enjoyed duties (laundry, dishes, trash) are shared.
  • What are trade relations between systems, countries, etc. like?
  • How many resources does the average person have at their beck and call? Can they afford to throw food away? Broken or no longer wanted objects? How important is recycling?
  • What are the major industries, crops, etc? How do they affect the society and policies of your world?
  • Do you have big businesses or small conglomerates? How are they run? For example, in Rob’s and my Rescue Sisters novel, Discovery, we have a major space conglomerate, ColeCorp, which has its fingers in everything from universities to spaceship construction. It runs like a standard American business for the most part, but in the asteroid belt, it has a cooperative relationship with the small, independent mining companies.

 Political:

  • What kind of government does your world have? What are the variations? For example, you may have a monarchy, but instead of the crown passing to the firstborn son, it goes to whichever child demonstrates the strongest arcane ability at 16. Each child’s score is recorded, and when the monarch dies, the crown is passed to the most skilled.
  • Politics is more than governmental, however. How are decisions for groups made? How does this reflect society’s values?

 Inventions:

  • What inventions have transformed society? Think more than just commercially. Take the washing machine, for example. On the surface, it makes it easier to clean clothes, but look deeper, and you see it has changed our standards of clean, the amount and type of clothing the average person owns, and sparked the need for a whole slew of new industries, from detergent manufacturing to diaper services.

For More Reading:

Where do you come up with ideas for these things? Read about Earth! Read a history, political system or economics. Then ask yourself how you can adapt elements of this to your world.

Karina Teaches – Lesson 4

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 4. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2, and Lesson 3.

Worldbuilding 101, Lesson 4: Your People

On the last day, God created Man (male and female), but we’re going to do it on Lesson 4.

For some of you, this won’t be too hard–you’ll have basic humanoids with some special quirk that makes them unique.

As you’ve already heard me say–and everybody join in this time–you need to think about the impact of the differences you make on the rest of your world. For example, for my novel Discovery, my husband Rob and I have postulated a race of creatures that are more patterned after starfish–radial symmetry rather than the vertical symmetry of humans. This introduced a whole slew of interesting questions:

–Do they have a sense of right/left/forward/back?

–Are certain digits devoted to walking and some to handling tools? Or are they ambidextrous?

–Where are their eyes? How do they see?

–How do they eat, sleep, procreate?

–What would their homes, vehicles, and equipment look like?

Fortunately for Rob and me, we will be dealing with humans exploring a long-dead spaceship, possibly abandoned, so we have some wiggle room for unanswered questions. We could concentrate just on the things that directly apply to the space ship, its design and especially its life craft. If we take our humans to this planet in another book, we’ll need more answers!

Even if you’re doing fantasy and are going to use some of the time-honored “aliens” like vampires, werewolves, etc., you still need to decide their biology, needs and how they are different. Is vampirism a disease, a genetic defect or a choice? Why can’t they come out into the sun? How does it really affect them–sunburn, allergic reaction or the good ol’ burst into flames? Do werewolves have to change in a full moon, or can they only change in the full moon? What happens to their clothes?

I’ve had a lot of fun playing with the usual clichés of fairy creatures in my Dragon Eye, PI universe. (www.dragoneyepi.net). For example, my elves are very long-lived. Well, when you live to be 500-600, your biology should slow down a bit, and so does your sense of time. Thus, while elves are able to interact with humans, they are also infuriatingly slow. Their language, for example, is full of prerequisites–to apologize for bumping into someone requires you recognize their social status and that of their family and tribe as compared to yours, the nature of the offense, the impact of that offense on the relationship and the relationship of their people… As my dragon detective Vern likes to complain, “It can take them half an hour to ask where the bathroom is.” (And, thanks to their changed biology, they do have half an hour before the need is urgent.)

Keep in mind, too, that the more that quirk is part of their nature, the more effect it will have on their civilization–but that’s lesson 5.

For more reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Alien-Species-Star/dp/0345442202/ref=sr_1_1/104-5069618-1512745?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189371773&sr=1-1 The Essential Guide to Aliens (Star Wars) by Ann Lewis and RK Post. It’s amazing what people have come up with for creatures. Contains their history, biology and sociology. Great for ideas.

Dragon Magazine: Although out of print, each issue had a bestiary with incredible detail about certain kinds of creatures.

Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbooks or Monster Manuals: Pick a fantasy creature and these writers have thought of everything from how they react in an adventure to what they wear as pajamas. Forget the dice and the stats and just play with the ideas.

Real life creatures: Google a species that may have traits you want – like starfish or manta rays or birds. Even if you aren’t looking for a full creature, you might learn something. For example, if your alien has wings and can fly, you will want to study what else is involved – do they have feathers or skin like a bat? Do they fly or just soar like a flying squirrel? How does their anatomy support the wing structure?

 

Karina Teaches – Lesson 2

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 2. Find Lesson 1 here.

 

Lesson 2: Physics, Geology and Geography

HEY! Don’t open that! It’s an alien planet! Is there air? You don’t know!

–Guy Fleegman, Galaxy Quest

The more we know about the universe and what it takes to create Life, the more we realize just how amazing it is that any life–let alone sentient life–could have developed even once. The world must have a sun that is the right age, be in orbit at the right distance with an atmosphere to block out dangerous radiation and provide something to breathe. There must be carbon or some other basic building block that can combine with other elements to produce complex molecules that will work together. And of course, there must be water or a logical water-substitute. There must be time for those to evolve, societies to develop, etc…

Now, you may not have to start with quite these basics, but you should know to some degree (as determined by the need of the story) how what you’re doing will alter that delicate balance. Alter the mineral content of the world, and you might change its gravity. Change the gravity too much and you lose atmosphere. Introduce two moons and you mess with the tides. Even removing the tilt of your world (the earth sits at about a 23.5 degree tilt to the sun) and you mess with the seasons and the warming of the planet. Not that you can’t do these things, but you need to be aware of them and how they affect your world–and (if they are important to your story) what you’ll do for a work-around.

Second point for today is that planets are not homogeneous. Mars, for example, has a rep for being rather plain and desert-like, but it has fantastic topography, from huge mountains to incredible canyons, long stretches of deserts and rocky flatlands. There are polar ice caps (albeit made of carbon dioxide). Even the gas giants have regions of different climates and “topography,” or else they would not have storms. So the idea of a completely “Springlike” planet or an entirely harsh, rocky world isn’t especially believable.

Of course, there are exceptions. Arrakis (Dune) was desert from pole to pole, but Frank Herbert made it successful for several reasons: it was critical to the story, believable in its presentation, grounded in reason (the scarcity of water and the actions of the sandworms, who walled off water and kept it from rising to the surface), and he acknowledged (through the characters) its uniqueness in the galaxy, thus making it a mystery to draw you into the book rather than a distraction to pull you out.

The point, of course, is to know WHY your world is the way it is, and to make sure that its unique characteristics carry their own unique consequences. Fantasy artists can toss in another moon because it’s cool; writers have to deal with how that second moon affects the werewolves every month–or how it affects the counting of the months, for that matter.

Unless you are an astrophysicist, astrobiologist and geologist, you probably can’t readily say what will happen when you start tweaking your world. Fortunately, others have done that thinking for us. Find books, seek out professors at your local university–or call around and find an expert. And of course, remember that how deep you get into worldbuilding depends on how vital your world is to your plot–if you’re writing a fantasy tale that takes place inland, you don’t need to know how your second moon affects your tides so much as how it affects your werewolves. If you’re doing a “pirates on Xenologia” adventure, you’d better know how the oceans react to your second moon.

But my story takes place on Earth! You may not have to worry about the physics (unless you are introducing some paranormal element, in which case you might consider the “physics” of that), but your area still has geology and geography. Consider the differences between San Francisco, Chicago and Phoenix, for example. One is hilly and foggy; the other has multiple rivers; the third is flat and dry. Each has its own geography, and keep in mind that for the sake of your story “geography” includes man-made elements. Part of the geography of Los Angeles includes Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Hollywood, Beverly Hills… When I think about the geography of my hometown, Pueblo, Colorado, I think of the winding highway, I-25, with the mall at the north end, just before the big stucco welcome signs, and the rusting steel mill on the south end, where the city sort of peters out to an empty lot of the old drive-in and the greyhound race track.

 

For More Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life

http://www.humantruth.info/aliens.html A fair summary of different life possibilities–from organic to robotic

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091886163/vexencrabtree “What does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life” by Jack Cohen

 

When Charity is Counter Culture, We Need to Lead the Way

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Last year, I took my first job in the corporate world. I’m loving it, but there’s a lot I have to learn…and some things I never want to learn.

Last week, while most of us were in a meeting, three of our employees got laid off. (We were told in the meeting right after it happened.) These were hard-working and much admired men in the office, but the work they did, through no fault of their own, wasn’t paying for itself. It was out-of-the blue, and a pure budget decision.

We’re a close-knit group, so everyone was upset, and not because they were worried about their own jobs. The rest of the day was spent in group walks, a long lunch, and much discussion and commiseration. I suggested we get a card and take up a collection. The suggestion surprised folks. Apparently, when someone leaves a company, they’re just gone, and life moves on. I was told that that’s usual for any company, not just ours. To acknowledge their contribution and their loss, esp as a group, is  “counter-culture.”

Nonetheless, people loved the idea. Those who had been laid off before said how much they’d have appreciated knowing folks still cared. So I got cards and some envelopes and spent part of the day walking around the office. The cards filled to overflowing. Everyone pitched in some money. Our Human Resources guy sent the cards and gift cards for us (since he can’t divulge the addresses.) It may have been counter the corporate culture, but when asked, everyone was willing to help, even people who didn’t know the guys in question. It just took a nudge.

At our hearts, most of us are considerate and generous. But we’re also timid, sometimes lazy, and unwilling to take a risk that goes against the standard culture. As an outsider coming into the culture, I acted out of ignorance. If I’d spent 20 years in the corporate world, I don’t know if I’d been so quick to act.

We wait for someone else to spur us to action. I wonder if that’s why so many people believe so strongly in government welfare – with the government taking charge, we can rest easy, feeling we’re helping the poor without our having to take steps ourselves. When Mormons tithe, the money comes straight out of their paychecks. I must admit, I think that’s brilliant. I wish the Catholic Church had a direct-deposit tithing program. We’re already the biggest charitable organization in the world. Can you imagine how much more we could do if people could just assign a portion of their paycheck automatically instead of waiting until Sunday to think about it? Like the Jews demanding a king, we demand that someone else take charge and lead us in things we know we should do.

Regardless of whether you agree with welfare or mandatory tithing, the fact remains that there is so much more we can do – so much more that people are willing to do – if only we had a nudge. Be the one who does the nudging. Forget what “the culture” says and do what your heart says, and invite others to join you. You might be surprised at how people will rally behind you to help.

From the President’s Desk – March 28

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ASG mini
I’m going to avoid talking about the lengthy, brutal winter that most of us are still experiencing to tell you about my new book, A Subtle Grace. It’s the sequel to my second novel, In Name Only, and continues the story of the wealthy and unconventional O’Donovan Family in the year 1896. At 19, Kathleen (oldest daughter) is unmarried with no prospects. Fearing the lonely fate of an old maid, her impatience leads to an infatuation with the first man who shows interest. The suave, handsome son of the local police chief seems a perfect match. But will her impulsive manner prevent her from recognizing her true beloved? A disturbing turn of events brings a dark shadow that threatens the life-long happiness she desires. Dr. Luke Peterson (the family’s new physician) also makes quite an impression on Kathleen. His affection for her leads him to startling revelations: about Kathleen, about his practice and, most importantly, about himself. Will (oldest son) believes God may be calling him to a religious vocation. Eventually, he discovers the hidden circumstances of his humble beginnings compelling him to embark on a pilgrimage to Rome.

(Although “A Subtle Grace” is a sequel, it can be read as a stand alone book.) It’s now available on Kindle and in print.

In other Guild news, the Catholic Writers Online Conference took place a few weeks ago and was a great success. If you missed any of the talks, most of them are available via transcripts at the conference website. I found the talks edifying, inspiring and helpful. Special thanks to Laura Lowder and Karina Fabian who organized the conference, and to all the moderators and transcribers!!

Volunteers needed!! If you have spare time and would like to help out with any of our committees, please leave a comment below or email me privately. We especially need a Public Relations volunteer and at least one additional person to help out with our Seal of Approval Committee.

If you’re a member of the Guild and on Facebook, please let us know so we can add you to our exclusive members only Facebook group! As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to email me: president (at) catholicwritersguild.com

Ellen Gable Hrkach
President, Catholic Writers Guild

The Glories of Google

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As those on the CWG FB page know, I started working full-time for a product review site called TopTenREVIEWS.  It’s a really fun place to work, and I learn a lot of stuff that I can apply to writing. One of those things is the intricacies of Google.

As a website that is making its money off ads, TTR depends heavily on pleasing the Google beast, so often, my writing is tempered by “What will Google think?”  As such I’ve learned a few things that might help you as writers as well.  Here are a few tips:

1. Length of Blog. This apparently is going away, but for some time, Google paid less attention to super short entries.  Articles over 350 words got more favor.  So if you habitually write short, you might be hurting your Google standings.

2. SEO Keywords. If you are going to use keywords, USE them.  Google adwords (http://www.google.com/adwords/)  will let you know what words are popular searched for. Find ones with high numbers and low to medium request rates. Then, don’t just put them in your tags section, use them in the article.  My rule of thumb at work is at least twice, although I’ve been told once is enough.  Google is smart about words, so it will look in context.  If you want “Catholic devotional” as a keyword, you can also say “devotional book for Catholics” and it will understand.

3. Google Plus.  Google is the 800 pound gorilla and it wants Google Plus to grow.  Thus, if you have a website, articles, blogs, whatever, under your name, you are more likely to have them show up higher in a Google search if you are also active on Google Plus.  This is getting more important, as Google is starting to favor products over informational articles in the searches.

Google also puts you higher in searches by your Google Plus followers…and their followers.  So being in circles increases the chance your stuff gets seen in the first page of a search.

4. Business and Pleasure on Google Plus. Unlike Facebook, Google Plus has a more serious, professional feel to it.  You can certainly post pictures and memes, but take time to write.  Also, if you want to score points with Google, use links and words rather than images.  Google does not count images toward your Google cred. Pictures draw readers, so you need a balance, however.

5. Cut the Copy and Paste. I learned this one in February. Google is now smart enough to tell if you have posted the same stuff in more than one place, and it will downgrade both sites in its searches.  So if you’re into “recycling” old posts, remember there’s a balance.  It might be worth the 20 minutes to refresh that content to make Google happy.

And that’s the final thing: refresh.  Google is now looking at how current your site is. If you are not putting in new content, then you will lose points in Google searches.  You don’t have to add something every day, but depending on the site, monthly or quarterly is a good rule of thumb.

Google is a constantly changing beast, so what rings true today may be the big no-no next month.  However, you can never go wrong with good content and interesting posts.  Keep writing!

NaNoWriMo Approacheth!

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Writing on a deadlineWhat is NaNoWriMo? For the uninitiated, this acronym is short for National Novel Writing Month, and it has taken place every November since its inception in 1999. The idea is to crank out 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30—which works out to be 1667 words per day. Every day. On a novel, specifically a new novel.

Why would any sane person take part in such a venture? (I have asked myself that very question, usually at five in the morning as I rub the sleep out of my eyes and stare at the glowing computer screen…)

First and foremost, it’s FUN! Really! Put that infernal internal editor on the back burner and let your creative side take over! When you write that fast and that consistently, you don’t have time to agonize over word choices or plot points. True, a lot of what you might write is drivel, but I can guarantee you that there will be a wealth of gold and gems in what you produce. (More than you think.) The best part is that you actually end up with words that can be edited—as opposed to a blank computer screen with a blinking cursor and anxiety because you haven’t produced anything.  :-/

Writing is a solitary activity; therefore, perhaps the most important element of NaNo is community. There are lots of forums on the site itself, and many groups, such as CWG, create their own small communities for the month. There’s a move afoot on the CWG Yahoo group and the Facebook group to get one going. (CWG members, contact Ann Lewis or Karina Fabian if you haven’t been invited to these groups yet.)

Even more fun, many regional groups have sprung up and organize “write-ins.” Can you imagine how much fun is it to go to a sponsoring coffee shop and be part of twenty or fifty folks tapping away at their computers on a blustery November evening?!! There are kick-off parties before NaNo begins, and celebration parties after it ends. If you follow the official rules and win, you get a cool NaNo icon to put on your website. And you get a “participant” icon just for making the effort.

One of the byproducts of the discipline of NaNo is confidence. You discover it is possible to crank out lots of words—and you discover that your creative side wants to come out and play. Like any talent, the more you use and hone it, the stronger it becomes. Lauren Sapala has written a great blog on the benefits of NaNoWriMo.

Think about it. This time next month, you could be nearing the middle or end of your novel! I will admit that I’ve never completed the 50k goal—but I’ve hit more than 20k. Without the challenge, I would have written maybe 5k words for the month. Whether you “win” or not, it’s worth a try.

Will you? If you’ve never tried it before, why not? Do you think you might try this year? If you’ve done NaNo before, share your experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly!

From the President’s Desk – Memorable Moments from the CWCL

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The 2013 Catholic Writers Conference Live is over and those of us who attended have been re-energized with new ideas from the varied and inspiring presenters and panel members. This year’s conference was a great success with over 100 attendees and many volunteers. Special thanks to Ann Lewis, Conference Coordinator, who did an outstanding job! Also thank you to Rebecca Willen, Ann’s assistant, who in Ann’s words, “was absolutely terrific…and the best minion ever!” And to my assistant, AnnMarie Creedon, for making my job a little easier!

Four of the five board members were present at the conference L to R: Ellen Gable Hrkach, Ann Margaret Lewis, Jennifer Fitz, Karina Fabian

I enjoyed being physically present and socializing with the other board members. While we speak frequently over the phone, we only have an opportunity to see each other once or twice a year.

Interestingly, I experienced at least one awkward moment during this year’s event. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m short (several inches under five feet). Just before I was called to come forward to present the CALA awards at the CMN breakfast, I realized the podium was kind of high and without much time to consider the possibilities, Alan Napleton introduced me. I walked onto the stage and over to the podium and was relieved that it wasn’t as high as I thought, until I realized that I could not reach the high microphone. There was chuckling from the audience, but quick thinking from the CMN audio professionals soon produced a cordless microphone and the program continued without incident (congratulations to Carol Grund and Ruth Apollonia, this year’s winners).

The delightful Mother Dolores Hart

My favorite moments from the conference/trade show included listening to the delightful Mother Dolores Hart, hearing Fr. Don Calloway’s inspiring talk on Mary and Fr. Mike Gaitley’s enthusiastic presentation on the newly restored image of the Divine Mercy. I also enjoyed eating scrumptious tomato pie (courtesy of author Erin McCole Cupp), watching and taking part in the CWG Booth EWTN interviews, being interviewed on EWTN Live radio, posing with the “Pope,” meeting a few longtime online friends in person (like Catholic Fire’s Jean Heimann), the Author Reception… and working with the most caring and energetic group of Guild volunteers…ever! Thank you, volunteers, and volunteer coordinator, Margaret Realy! (By the way, so many members asked me how to pronounce my last name that I have included an easy phonetic guide below.)

Erin McCole Cupp giving out delicious tomato pie

EWTN Bookmark interviews at the CWG Booth

The 2014 Trade Show and conference will be held July 29-August 1 in the Chicago area. If you need any more incentives to come, please read Karina’s article here!

One last important thank you goes to my husband, James, photographer extraordinaire, whose photos can be seen on the Guild Facebook page.

And…don’t forget about our Catholic Writers Retreat which will take place in Michigan this October. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me: president(at)catholicwritersguild.com

God bless,

Ellen Gable Hrkach (pronounced her-cash, as in my money)
President, CWG

Praise God, All Creation–Even the Magnetosphere!

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This year, I teach 4th grade RE.  On September 23rd, we read this Psalm:

Last weekend, we read this psalm:

 

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights.

Praise him, all you his angels;

give praise, all you his hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all shining stars.

Praise him, highest heavens,

you waters above the heavens.

Let them all praise the LORD’s name;

for he commanded and they were created

Psalm 148: 1-5

 

I tried to explain to the kids how all creation praises God, even if not in voices–the stars burn and the birds sing.  This led to praising God in our actions by living according to His will.  However, this morning, Space.com printed an article about the sounds of the magnetosphere,* and how they sound like birds:

 

 

The magnetosphere, btw, are the magnetic waves that surround the earth to protect us from solar radiation.  So, it seems in its own way, even the magnetosphere sings praises to God.  How awesome is that?

This has given me a great idea for a short Rescue Sisters story.  Three of my favorite characters are Sister Rita, an Earth-born woman who joins the Sisters, and Sisters Thomas and Ann, who were born in space.  Ann is a very literal person.  Rita’s parents send her a recordingof the birds around her their home, and she listens to them when she’s homesick.  Ann will comment that they sound “off.”  She’ll start listening to the recording, then tweaking it, then analyzing it…  She’ll insist it’s not from Earth, but it’s not until one of the other sisters sees her equations that she realizes Sister Ann thinks it’s the magnetosphere of a planet.  I could also see this in other SF stories, where they pipe in the sound of the magnetosphere and someone confuses it for birdsong.  I wonder, if they did it in hydroponics, would the birds harmonize or be disturbed by the sounds?  I like the idea of harmony.

So, my Catholic writing friends, what does this fire in your imagination?

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