CWG Member News: November 2022

Supporting Your Writing Season

Here we are, well into fall in the northern hemisphere. The red maple tree outside my daughters’ bedroom window is beautiful, isn’t it? Especially with the Blessed Mother there in front of it.

Every season has beauty here. The brilliant white of winter, the vibrant blossoms of spring, the lush green of summer, and the colorful foliage of fall.

Every season has its beauty and its challenges, both our natural seasons and the varied seasons of our lives. Seasons of burgeoning creativity and seasons where our priorities shift. Sometimes caregiving, parenting, illness, injury, and work take the forefront.

The challenge in every season is to prioritize wisely, keeping our faith and family at the forefront. It’s okay to have seasons when writing takes a backseat. It’s also okay to make room for writing.

The Catholic Writers Guild wants to come along side you in those journeys, a unique melding of faith and your writing life. Please see below for our upcoming opportunities.

Also, it’s almost time for our annual elections! Keep an eye out for a nomination message in your inbox next week!

And finally, the Guild has signed a contract for re-branding and updating our website! The Guild will have a new, more contemporary look, a more user-friendly website, and a new opportunity for easy member communication. (Not on Facebook? Don’t like Discord? That’s okay. We’ll make this simple.) Look for positive changes coming soon!

Carolyn Astfalk
President

Register at CatholicWritersGuild.org/onlineconference

Social Media Spotlight

We’d like to spotlight our favorite things about the Guild or ways Guildies have helped each other! Do you have an item to share? Bonus points if you send a photo with it. Send a note about your favorite thing about the CWG to vicepresident@catholicwritersguild.com.

Seal of Approval

The Seal of Approval application opens for the 1st quarter on Monday, January 16, 2023 at Noon EDT. Once open, you can access the Seal of Approval Application Form for 24 hours. Reminder: If your book has received an Imprimatur, it is ineligible for the Seal of Approval but receives all benefits associated with the Seal. More information on the Seal of Approval process.

Application dates for 2023:

Mon., January 16
Fri., April 14
Fri., July 14
Fri., September 15

You may notice that the dates have shifted from the beginning of the month to the middle. This was done to avoid regular conflicts with New Year’s, 4th of July, and Labor Day.

Volunteer Corner

Annual officer elections are just around the corner! Please take a few moments to consider whether you are being called to serve your fellow Catholic writers as an officer in 2023.

We’re seeking a new author coordinator for our Seal of Approval Committee. Thanks to Patrice MacArthur, who has filled this role for many years. Her service is greatly appreciated.

Patrice left a detailed description of her volunteer role, which will make it easy for a new volunteer to step into the job.

Very simply, the author coordinator prepares the spreadsheet before the start of each submission period (four times/year), communicates with submitting authors as to whether their submission has been accepted or if they are waitlisted, updates the spreadsheet to reflect new applications, and uploads book files to the appropriate folder. (Familiarity with Google Drive is helpful.)

If you’re able to take on this role, please email SOA@catholicwritersguild.com. Thank you!

Check Your Spam!

If you’re waiting on a reply from an official Guild email account (one ending in catholicwritersguild.com or catholicwritersguild.org), please be sure to check your spam or junk folder. Unfortunately, our messages have a way of ending up there.

If you’ve not received a reply to a message in a reasonable amount of time, please checking your junk or spam folder before resending your message.

With rare exception, I personally reply to messages within 2-3 days, maximum.