In lieu of a serious post about blogging, I’m going to put this forth as a reason to come to the Catholic Writers Conference Live: YOU could be the one in these pictures! Pat Gohn and me, who always makes me smile Ellen Gable Hrkach with me, who has an […]
Promote Catholicism Today (and Always) #silenceandword
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, […]
The Value of Face-to-Face
I love how the internet and the media-that’s-not-really-“new”-anymore has opened many doors and windows in my life. I’ve made friends who are not virtual in any way, though miles may separate us. We drink our coffee via Twitter, share joys via email, follow each other’s lives via blogs. We ask […]
Using Photos and Images on Your Blog
There’s something appealing about a good picture with a good blog post. I started using images as a matter of course when I noticed some of my favorite bloggers doing it. It’s like a challenge, sometimes, finding the picture that expresses the post. Sometimes it’s a way of sending another […]
May and Mary
May is, without a doubt, a crazy month for most of the people I know. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that maybe May is Mary’s month because the only way we moms will get through it is with her help. Call me a bit cynical. Or overwhelmed. Or […]
Design Matters
Does design matter? Yes. Yes, it does. Let’s use the example of books, because if you’re here, I’m assuming that (a) you write and/or (b) you read. When’s the last time you picked up a book with a terrible cover? Or, even worse: when’s the last time you picked up a […]
Using My Blog to Promote My Book
Now that I have a few books under my belt, I can speak from experience about using my blog to promote my book. At least, I think I can. Before you read on, here are a couple of possible caveats: I have an existing audience. I’ve been blogging since May 2006. […]
What I Love about Being Catholic Online
Every week, I encourage you to keep going with your blogging. I share tips and advice to the best of my ability. I try to be candid and not too idealistic. Blogging’s hard work. But, as I was reminded recently, so is life. Period. Last week, I had a bit […]
When Lent Becomes Personal
Part of the Lenten Journey series Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. – John 13:5 It’s been a pretty pathetic Lent, or so I thought until about 10 AM on Tuesday morning. It […]
Remember Your Priorities
Last week, during the Catholic Writers Conference Online, I was reminded of something that I’m going to just go ahead and remind you of, too. Because you know what? We all need to hear this. Remember your priorities. You are Catholic first, everything else second. That means your big-V vocation–spouse, parent–comes […]