I’m involved in a project to organize a reading plan for students. It has made me aware, in a new way, of the value of the riches stored in my head from past reading. No machine could correlate a lifetime of reading, experience, attendance at conference talks, and digging for […]
A Writer’s Voice
Do you spend time in conversation about the material you write? If not, you may be in danger of losing your voice. Writing is, ultimately, a means of communication – a two-way street. Without an audience – in mind, or on hand – it can become flat and lifeless. Such […]
The Unbloody Cross?
The most interesting thing I have to tell fellow writers this month is about being censored. I bought a “self-publishing” contract with a reputable firm connected to a major Christian publisher. For help with margins and a cover design, the price was right. I excitedly hit “send” and waited for […]
Creative Infrastructure
Happy New Year! Every year my work process changes to accommodate new realities. Much of it stays constant – the tried and true practices that form an infrastructure for working new projects into the mix. I hope if I share some of my process with you, it will help you […]
Write it Anyway
There are times when the bracing wisdom of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta is the only thing that will do. I am paraphrasing her advice, as wisdom for writers, because I need it right now! Maybe you do, too. People often fail to give you feedback. Write it anyway. If you […]
A Ray of Brightness
One prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas stands out as a perfect preface to intellectual work. Before you study, before you write, before you speak, pray this prayer: Ineffable Creator, Who, from the treasures of Your wisdom, have established three hierarchies of angels, have arrayed them in marvelous order, above the […]
The Story of a Book
Looking back on the history of my first book, I see six phases in its development: Trial by Ordeal, Sabbatical, Poetic Ecstasy, A Better Baby, Love Laborious and New Birth. Trial by Ordeal Twenty-some years before writing Souls at Rest (SAR), I was a young, struggling Christian with a whole […]
Follow With Feedly
You Could Be a Better Follower! Somewhere, in the territory between “I can’t follow everyone,” and “I wish I could follow more Catholic bloggers” is a place I call ‘Feedly’. Here’s how it works for me: 1. Subscribe to Feedly’s free RSS feed aggregation service at feedly.com. (No, this is […]
Say That Again, Please
Writers should be speakers, and vice versa. Speakers (at least, those without speech writers) should first develop their ideas in clear, concise, written prose, before foisting them upon captive audiences. This seems obvious. But it may not be so obvious to writers that they should also be speakers. In fact, […]