As I write this, the rain is softly falling, the birds are chirping and I’m frantically trying to meet four deadlines. Such is the life of a writer. Have you ever heard of the saying “Many hands make light work?” If you have a large family or grew up in […]
The “Whole Package” Novel
Are you currently writing a novel? If so, my previous post encourages you to read great books in order to be a better writer. For me, as a novelist, my goal is to write novels that encompass the “whole package.” So what is the “whole package” in novel writing? In […]
Unique Marketing Opportunity – The CWG Booth
Every year at the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show, the Catholic Writers Guild organizes a booth which displays members’ books. Wholesalers, bookstore owners and other attendees can see, page through and even read excerpts of displayed books. This is a well-attended event so it presents a unique opportunity for CWG […]
From the President’s Desk
Habemus Papam! It has been an exciting few weeks with emotions ranging from sadness at Pope (Emeritus) Benedict retiring to the joyous election of Pope Francis. At his Sunday audience after the Angelus on March 17th, he ended his speech with “Don’t forget…remember this…the Lord will never tire of forgiving […]
Narrative Voice, Characterization and Reading To Improve Writing
Novelists should always be willing (and eager) to improve their craft. Writing fiction is difficult and complex because of the many complicated aspects (narrative voice, writing style, imagery, plot lines, characterization, setting etc). Whether you’re a bestselling author or an aspiring novelist, one of the best ways to improve your […]
President’s Message – February 2013
“The future starts today, not tomorrow.” Blessed John Paul II Every year, around this time, winter seems like it will go on forever and many wish for the warmer days of spring. This is much like the mother with a small baby who longs for her child to grow older […]
Improving Your Fiction Manuscript: Common Errors To Avoid
A good novel begins with a great story, a compelling plot, interesting characters. But it doesn’t end there. A good novel also needs to be well written. I’ve been editing other authors’ novels for two years and writing novels for ten years. What follows are the most common mistakes I […]
President’s Message – January 25
Here in Canada, the longest month of the year is January, not only because it has 31 days, but because it’s usually snowy, cold and dreary for most of the month. It hasn’t exactly been dreary, but it has definitely been snowy. To date, we’ve had 83 cms of snow […]
Digital, Print or Both?
New self-publishers often ask the question: should I go digital, print or both? Ten years ago when I was in the beginning stages of self-publishing my first book, I never considered offering my book digitally on a wide scale. Although I occasionally sent PDFs to reviewers, the digital revolution had […]
President’s Message
Hello CWG Members! On behalf of the entire Catholic Writers Guild Board, I’d like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! I’d also like to take this opportunity to formally welcome Jennifer Fitz to our board as Vice President. I had the […]