Monthly Archives: June 2011

Pope’s Prayer for 60th Anniversary

Posted on June 30, 2011 by avatar
“Thank You For the Grace of the Priestly Ministry”
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 29, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the prayer Benedict XVI wrote for the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination, which he celebrated today.
* * *
Lord,
We thank you because you have opened your Heart for us;
Because in your Death and Resurrection
You have become source of life.
Make us living persons,
Living from your source,
And give us the power to be sources ourselves,
Able to give to this, our time
The water of life.
We thank you
For the grace of the priestly ministry.
Lord, bless us
And bless all men of this time
Who are thirsty and in search
Amen.

-Benedictus PP XVI

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Getting Back on Track with Daily Blogging

Posted on June 29, 2011 by avatar

I usually look at my blogging as something that can’t be cut. I mean, I can post a picture of my baby, or a daybook, or a quote. There’s no reason to cut and run and let it gather dust.

Except…

Except that sometimes, life gets in the way.

Because of that, I’ve spent the last few weeks getting out of the habit of daily blogging. I had all this other stuff that had to be done, and the blog had to wait.

Now, I find myself facing something that’s as hard for me as exercise: discipline.

Writing daily isn’t just an inspiration, at least for me. It’s not just something theoretical: it’s work. As work, it requires discipline.

Here are five tips I use when I’m in this scenario, trying to get back in the swing of things:

1. Schedule posts.
Scheduling helps me distance myself a bit and gives me a cushion. It also helps me work a day ahead. (Try as I might, I can’t usually work more than one day out. I just get overwhelmed and I lose all my steam.)

2. Keep it under 500.
It’s not the long post that takes a lot of time, is it? It’s the short post. The 500 mark is one that I stole from someone else when I did a guest blogging gig. I noticed, after that, that 500 seems to be a golden point in my own attention span. It’s not set in stone, but it’s a benchmark. If what I have to say is important, it’s worth editing. If it’s not important, it’s probably going to be even better shorter.

3. A little every day.
I tend to prefer a binge method when it comes to crossing things off lists. I want it all done NOW. But that makes the whole nature of regular blogging really overwhelming. So I do a little bit (usually one post) every day. That’s all.

4. Sometimes a schedule, sometimes not.
Nothing’s set in stone. This is helpful…and not so helpful. On the one hand, it appeals to the PsychoManager in me to have a pattern for each day of the week. On the other hand, I find myself a little annoyed when I start to notice this on other blogs. When it’s helpful, I have a schedule. When it’s not, I don’t. And that is the most helpful thing of all.

5. Have fun, but don’t let fun run me.
Blogging is my fun writing. It’s my warm-up. It’s a passion of mine. (And apparently something I can ramble on about once a week indefinitely!) When it’s not fun, then, it’s tempting to want to walk away. It is then that I have to remind myself of the discipline part of the equation. It is then that I have to buckle down and remember that not only is there no such thing as writer’s block, but this is work that must be done.

How about you? What helps you keep to a regular blogging schedule?

–
Sarah Reinhard, author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent & Christmas Reflections for Families, is a Catholic wife, mom, blogger, reader, and farm girl who can be found at SnoringScholar.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

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CWG Prayer Chain Post: June 27, 2011

Posted on June 27, 2011 by avatar

The CWG Prayer Chain Post is a weekly post for members to include their special intentions by adding a comment.  

Dt 8:2-3

Remember the long road by which Yahweh your God led you for forty years in the desert, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart — whether you would keep his commandments or not. 

He humbled you, he made you feel hunger, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, to make you understand that human beings live not on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of Yahweh. 

The power of prayer and the power of people praying.

June Intention Prayer 
 
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.
Saint Augustine

Please leave a comment with your intention. If you have problems adding an intention, email it to Mike Hays at coachhays@gmail.com and I will add it.  God bless. 

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Chiastic structures in storytelling

Posted on June 25, 2011 by avatar

In my previous post, I suggested that the gospel-writer Mark employed a number of classical techniques in his storytelling, such as repetition and framing. Such artful structure does no harm to the historicity of the ‘story’. It doesn’t suddenly become ‘fiction’ or less trustworthy because it is artfully told. It adds meaning and emphasis.

For example, another ‘framing’ device Mark uses is something called ‘chiasms.’ A “chiastic structure” is a concentric circle or step up/step down structure common in Hebrew literature where a central incident (or a verse) is surrounded by others that lead up to it and then lead down in the same order, ABCBA. The “C” item is the most important, and the steps leading up to it and the corresponding steps leading down from it highlight its importance.

For example, at the beginning of Mark, there are 5 conflicts in Galilee: A= the healing of a cripple, B= a protest by religious leaders that Jesus eats with “sinners,” C= the central incident where Jesus talks about how fasting is proper at some times but feasting is called for while the bridegroom is present – himself. B’= a controversy with the religious leaders over the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath (no such work is permitted under Jewish law, say the leaders) and finally A’= healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.

In the later Temple sequence, there are 7 parts: A= the riddle of the wicked tenants, B= a quote from the Psalms regarding the “chief cornerstone” which Jesus relates to himself, C= a legal question about paying taxes to the Romans. D= the central incident, a discussion of the resurrection, which foreshadows the ending. C’= a legal question about love for God and neighbor, B’= a quote from the Psalms regarding the true “Son of David,” and A’= warning against the religious lawyers. Coincidentally, the structure looks like a menorah to me.

Indeed, the entire gospel uses another framing device as a way to organize the material and call attention to Jesus’ true identity, which remains ‘hidden’ for most of the book. The very first line announces the subject and outline of the book: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God.” Jesus is his name, and ‘Christ’ and ‘Son of God’ are his titles. ‘Christ,’ or ‘the anointed one’ (or better, ‘anointed king’) is most meaningful to Jews, while ‘Son of God’ is most meaningful to Romans whose emperor refered to himself with this title. ‘Son of God’ would also relate to Jews who equated this title with the king of Israel (as in Psalm 2) and who were familiar with Daniel 7 (a passage Jesus quotes at his trial).

Given this two-part ‘thesis,’ Mark is divided into two neat halves. The first half takes place in the north for about a year. The second half takes place in the south and lasts about a week.

The first half opens with a voice from the clouds declaring Jesus’ identity as God’s Son during his anointing as the king by God’s prophet, John – an Elijah figure. The second half also has a voice from the clouds at the Transfiguration announcing Jesus as the Son in the presence of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah. These parallel structures are deliberate.

The first half closes with Peter, a Jew, acknowledging Jesus as the Christ (though he doesn’t quite understand what that means yet). The second half closes with a Roman soldier acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God.

By using such careful framing devices, Mark adds to the story’s drama and meaning.

What can contemporary storytellers learn from this? I’ll talk about that next time.

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What’s Up, CWG? (June 2011)

Posted on June 24, 2011 by avatar

Posted by CWG Secretary

Hi, Everybody!

How’s your summer going? It’s a busy one for the CWG, with preparations for the conference, the retreat, the Catholic Arts and Letters Awards and more! Read on for important updates and discussions of the June Officer Meeting:

1. Catholic Writers’ Retreat. You should have heard about this from now; if not, check out our blog post for details. We have the registration details set up and the retreat center has made us brochures for handing out at the Catholic Writers Conference Live in August. We’re looking into sending a press release via ChristianNewsWire, once we see if we get results from the press release we sent them for the CWCL. (It’s $65, and we want to be sure it’s an effective investment.) We purposely kept the price of the retreat low, but should there be any profits, they will be split between the three sponsors: the retreat center, Faith Publishing and the CWG.

2. Did you know the Guild has a Spiritual Director? Ann Lewis plans to meet with Monsignor Schaedel next month to brief him on the Guild and find out how active he wants to be in our activities. He was Ann’s pastor, but is moving parishes. We also have a representative for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Dr. Harry Plummer. The Archdiocese is our sponsor within the Church; for more on its role, check the bylaws.

3. We have $630 in donations toward our website. Thanks so much! The spec document should be going out in a couple of weeks to all those interested in bidding on building our new website. We’ll be putting this money in savings until we’re ready to go on with the project.

4. It was suggested in CWG Chat that we sell ad space to our website. We are making provisions for that in the upgrade, though we will probably sell the space for all three of our sites: the CWG Website, the CWG blog and the Conference Website. We will probably need some volunteers when this happens to make sure our ads are only for people or groups that conform to the Magesterium.

5. We are going to increase dues in January 2012 to $30 a year. As we’ve grown, so have our expenses; our analysis by accountant Diane Embry shows this should meet our needs.

6. Speaking of, Diane is stepping down as Guild accountant. We have a couple of bids for a new accountant and will be hiring someone in the next couple of weeks.

7. Every now and then, we have an author who disputes a decision by the Seal of Approval Committee or the Booth Committee on approving a book. (Primarily on whether we think it doesn’t conform to Catholic belief and traditions or if we do not feel comfortable recommending it to a Catholic Bookstore.) The thought of an appeals committee was discussed, but rejected for several reasons: We already have several readers making the decision, and when there is any doubt, we take it to a trusted readers’ group when the first run readers have doubts; we would be complicating a process that already overwhelms our coordinators at times; we tend to give books the benefit of a doubt, anyway; and our decisions do not carry the weight of an Imprimatur, but are a discretionary process to keep the CWG in conformity with the Magesterium. Therefore, decisions will be final, although we will consider rewrites.

8. We know that Guild members would like to have more intercommunication. Please remember that we have Facebook, and you are welcome to post there. We also have Larissa Hoffman who posts member news on the blog (see the sidebar). We have put into the website spec the provision to create a Yahoo-type e-mail chat group.

9. Dave will be writing up the committee news later, but a few highlights:

* The PR group has been doing an awesome job. Thanks so much!
* We only have ten folks signed up for the Live Conference in August. Please tell your friends. You can use the info on the press release here.
* We Need Conference Volunteers (you get free admission!) Contact laura.lowder(at)gmail.com
* We Need Some Volunteers for the CWG Chat Committee! Contact me (karina(at)fabianspace.com)
* We Need to Rebuild our Catholic Arts and Letters Committee! Contact me (karina(at)fabianspace.com)
* We Need Volunteers to Build the Catholic Writers Wiki! Right now, it’s simple clean up and uploading photos. Contact davealaw(at)shaw.ca.

Blessings,
Karina Fabian
CWG Secretary

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CWG NEWS

Posted on June 24, 2011 by avatar

Catholic Writers Guild Chooses Finalists for Lily Awards

The Catholic Writers Guild has announced the finalists for the first Catholic Arts and Letters Awards (CALA), also known as the “Lily Awards.”


The presentation of the Lily Awards will take place at a special breakfast during Catholic Marketing Network’s (CMN) annual retail trade show, which is held in conjunction with the Catholic Writers Conference LIVE August 3-5, 2011 in Valley Forge, PA. The conference is cosponsored by the Catholic Writers Guild.


The Lily Awards finalists are:


In the category of adult fiction:
Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, by Ann Margaret Lewis (Wessex Press)
Rachel’s Contrition, by Michelle Buckman (Sophia Institute Press)

Theophilus, by Michael O’Brien (Ignatius Press)


In the category of children’s/young adults fiction:
Alex O’Donnell and the 40 Cyberthieves, by Regina Doman (Chesterton Press)
Hiding the Stranger, by Joan Kelly (Bezalel Books)
Tristan’s Travels, by Karl Bjorn Erickson (Rafka Press)

One winner will be selected from each category. Congratulations to all finalists!


The conference provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe. To register, or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.


Come My Beloved on Amazon’s Inspirational Top Twenty





CWG Vice President Ellen Hrkach’s newly released Come My Beloved: Inspirational Stories of Catholic Courtship was #20 on Amazon Kindle’s Inspirational books. This compilation of twelve love stories will inspire you!


Help Ellen get her book to Number One on Amazon by purchasing the e-book for only $2.99! If you don’t have Kindle, you can download it for free on your PC, iphone, ipad, etc.


In Florida Next Week? Meet Heather St. Aubin-Stout at a Book Signing of Not My Mother’s Journey


CWG member Heather St. Aubin-Stout has a book signing at Sun Dog Books in Seaside, FL, on June 28 from 9-11 a.m.

Not My Mother’s Journey is Heather’s very candid and personal account of her fight against breast cancer as she confronts her memories of her mother’s death to breast cancer. Not My Mother’s Journey has gotten excellent reviews for this beautiful story of courage and faith (and will be featured in the CWG News in a few weeks).  Recently Heather guest blogged on Catholicmom.com as well. And check CWG News for her future book signings and speaking events.  Look for Heather in the Michigan area in August!

Viper Will Be Released in Paperback on July 1, 2011


Viper, the mystery sequel to Bleeder, by John Desjarlais can be pre-ordered now at Amazon or from Sophia Institute Press for its paperback release on July 1, 2011. 

CWG member John Desjarlais is “pleased to be part of Sophia’s Press’s effort to bring fiction with a Catholic coloring to the public. It matches CWG’s mission to revive a movement of Catholic arts and letters.” John is currently working on a third book in the series starring insurance agent and ex-DEA agent Selena De La Cruz. 

Haunted by the loss of her brother to drugs and a botched raid that ended her career with the DEA, insurance agent Selena De La Cruz hoped to start afresh in rural Illinois. But her gung-ho former boss needs her back to hunt “The Snake,” a dealer she helped arrest who is out of prison and systematically killing anyone who ever crossed him. His ‘hit list’, appended to a Catholic Church’s All Souls Day ‘Book of the Deceased,’ shows Selena’s name last. Working against time, small town prejudice and the suspicions of her own Latino community, Selena races to find The Snake before he reaches her name while a girl visionary claims a “Blue Lady” announces each killing in turn. Is it Our Lady of Guadalupe or, as others believe, the Aztec goddess of Death?

Sounds thrilling? Check out the video trailer here. Regina Doman, author of The Shadow of the Bear and The Midnight Dancers states, “I just couldn’t put it down!” Tony Perona of Second Advent and Angels Whisper says, “Desjarlais keeps you guessing as the action accelerates faster than Selena De La Cruz’s souped-up vehicle. Viper strikes fast and sinks its teeth into you. You won’t be able to put it down.” 

Read more great reviews at www.johndesjarlais.com and check out his book tour. On July 30, you can find him at Sylvia Ramsey’s blog. He’ll also be at the Catholic Writers Conference and Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show August 2-5 where you can meet him in person. Order Viper and bring it with you to the conference!

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The List Sickness

Posted on June 22, 2011 by avatar

I am an avid list-keeper.

It’s a bit of a sickness.

It’s also extremely handy for those times when I find myself light on time, lighter on ideas, and still needing to blog.

I keep lists of things I want to ask readers. I keep lists of people I want to interview. I have a list of ideas for blog posts, of course, but also of questions I might ask those people I want to interview. I have a list of series that I could write someday and a list of quotes.

I have lists of topics that I can suggest for guest posts and lists of books I should review (and maybe even give away). I have lists of things that are just plain interesting (and therefore possibly bloggable) and lists of things that relate to writing.

I’ve just discovered Evernote for organizing these lists and it’s helpful (if a bit of a sickness all its own).

In a season when I find myself shy on time for much of anything, my lists have been keeping me afloat.

How do you keep your lists organized? Better yet, how do you use lists for your blogging and/or other writing?
–
Sarah Reinhard, author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent & Christmas Reflections for Families, is a Catholic wife, mom, blogger, reader, and farm girl who can be found at SnoringScholar.com. She’s also active on Twitter and Facebook.

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Catholic Writers to Enjoy Special Spiritual Retreat

Posted on June 21, 2011 by avatar

LANSING, Mich. – St. Francis Retreat Center, in collaboration with FAITH Catholic Publishing and Communications and The Catholic Writers Guild, will sponsor Your Word is My Delight, a Catholic writers’ retreat, Oct 5-9, 2011. Come and delight in God’s word and sacrament, and pray in a beautiful and serene retreat setting.

The retreat’s key presenter is Pat Gohn, Catholic columnist, podcaster and catechist. Other presenters are Father Charles E. Irvin, David Krajewski, Father David Rosenberg and Father Larry Delaney.

Writers will enjoy three spiritually-enriching days of daily Mass, adoration, the sacrament of reconciliation and many hours of writing time. Talks will explore how God speaks to and encourages writers through Scripture, papal writings and other topics in order to promote faith-filled writing.

Opportunities for networking also will be offered through an informal “book bash and social hour” Wednesday evening and Faith Catholic’s one-on-one “pitch sessions” that give writers the chance to sell their current writing projects.

Cost for the four-day retreat is $450, which includes meals and accommodations. Deadline for registration is Sept 28. A nonrefundable deposit of $45 is required at registration.

And for more information, please visit www.stfrancis.ws.

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Beginning Editing: Snip, Snip, Snip

Posted on June 21, 2011 by avatar

Time for another round of beginning editing skills. Recall our basic premise:

The first draft gets the story out of my head and onto paper. The revisions get my story off the paper and into the reader’s head.

In previous columns we’ve explored ways to write clearly and accurately. Today, we just want to keep the reader awake.

Please Do Not Bore Your Readers By Writing Too Much.

Your first draft has every right to wackiness. Way too many words here; long, detailed descriptions there; and over in another corner, quick ideas jotted down that still need fleshing out. That’s what a first draft is for. Just get out as much you can, quick as you can.

When you go back to revise, it’s time to snip, snip, snip. Here are three problems to look for:

1. Way too many ideas. You are an expert on your topic. You know too much. You want to say it all, and say it now. Pare back to only the most important ideas for this particular message. There will be a chance to write again another day. Keep your readers awake and interested, and they’ll keep flipping pages or clicking posts to find out what you have to say next.

2. Asides on every side. There are so many connections, so many interesting observations, and it is sorely tempting to share them ALL with the reader. Backspace is your friend. Give yourself some strict rules:

  • If the message is not about me, I’m not going to put in asides about me.
  • If my main idea is important, I’m not going to distract my reader with side comments.
  • If my story needs to be fast and flowing right now, no parenthetical quips from the narrator.

Asides are like overgrown shrubbery along a sidewalk. They slow down the reader and make it hard to see the main message. Snip away until your reader can move quickly and comfortably through your work.

3. Too much fun. You write because you love your topic. This is a hazard for every genre:

Fiction: You spend hours daydreaming about your imaginary world. Why wouldn’t the reader want to know exactly how the magical sword was forged, molecule by molecule?

Non-fiction: You have 1,001 great ways to prove your point, and surely the reader needs at least 999, right?

Humor: If you have a fall-on-the-ground funny scene, won’t the readers still be belly-laughing three pages into the joke?

Writing is cooperative. You write because you can’t help yourself, but you also write for an audience. Many of your readers want your basic idea, and then they want to move on. Write for those readers.

But what about the reader who shares your undying passion for the details?

Well, he wants to use his imagination, too. Let him do a little daydreaming of his own about the making of the sword, the proving of the point, the many permutations of the joke. Leave room in the universe for fan-fic (and fan non-fic). Plus, all those cuttings will make interesting blog posts, volume 2, or “deleted scenes”, for the reader who just can’t get enough.

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CWG Prayer Chain Post: June 20, 2011

Posted on June 20, 2011 by avatar

The CWG Prayer Chain Post is a weekly post for members to include their special intentions by adding a comment. 

Luke 9:1-5  
Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 
He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money – not even an extra tunic.     
Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.  Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”


The power of prayer and the power of people praying.

June Intention Prayer 
 
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.
Saint Augustine

Please leave a comment with your intention. If you have problems adding an intention, email it to Mike Hays at coachhays@gmail.com and I will add it.  God bless. 

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