Catholic Writers Are Needed Today

+JMJ+ Now that I’ve actually written a novel all the way through (well, a rough draft, anyway, and using no cowardly padding gimmicks like I used during one NaNoWriMo after another, ones included in the handbook, I might add), I’ve been giving serious thought to what a Catholic (or Christian in general) writer is. I mean, I’d thought about it before, I’ve read about it and watched videos and listened to podcasts. I’ve read at least some of what Dorothy Sayers, Tolkien, O’Connor, and others said or wrote about it. (An aside: I thoroughly enjoy the non-fiction, the essays and letters of Sayers and O’Connor, but not their fiction. Lord Peter Wimsey is not my cup of tea and a story I like by O’Connor is hard to find. There, I said it. Let the flame throwing begin! However, after some videos I watched last night, I’m planning to have another go at O’Connor. I will share some of the videos in this post.)

Video, The Need for Catholic Writers in the World Today, from Catholic Drive Time interviewing Sarah Cortez of Catholic Literary Arts. Some of the time is spent discussing their writing camp for kids (I’m not sure if it’s just for teens or if younger ones are included), an event that is past for this year, but should be coming up in the summer. Looks interesting!

Video, Fearless Catholic Writing Camp 2021, CLA‘s Sarah Cortez. I wish I had known about this and could have shared it sooner. But this way you’ll know about it ahead of time and maybe that will give you time to budget for it, too.

Video, “With One Eye Squinted” – Flannery O’Connor and the Call to Suffering, Jessica Hooten Wilson. From the description: “During her years as a graduate student at the Iowa Workshop, Flannery O’Connor kept a prayer journal in which she shared with God her concerns over her mediocre faith and her ambition to write. Through these prayers, scripture reading, and theological study, O’Connor began to fear that the only way to become both a saint and a great author would be a path of suffering. She prays, “It is hard to want to suffer; I presume Grace is necessary for the want.” For many Christians, the idea of wanting suffering sounds masochistic. Yet, O’Connor shows through her fiction and her own life story that suffering may be a call by Grace.”

Video, On Being Human, Jessica Hooten Wilson. From the description: “How to Read with Humility and Hospitality. How we read is as important as what we read. In this brief conversation, let’s go over how to discern what’s worth reading and how to read well. We’ll discuss reading virtues drawn from the great tradition and how to ask questions of the stories that matter.”

Thanks for visiting the blog and reading. I pray that you and I will stay holy and virtuous, and help each other to become who the Lord intends us to be: SAINTS. (And if you pray for me, please include a prayer for my writing and attempted creative work in general. Lord knows, I need all the help I can get! I’ll be praying for y’all daily.) God bless you and may His Peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Notes and Links

Catholic Literary Arts: This group sounds really interesting. Check out their past event, Fearless Catholic Writing®️ Camp 2021, and here’s a short video by Sarah Cortez about the camp.
Doorways to the Sacred, program series at Catholic Literary Arts: This could be helpful in writing my quasi-historical-fiction novel. Most of the events on the page right now are upcoming and it looks like most will be available online.
Video, “With One Eye Squinted” – Flannery O’Connor and the Call to Suffering, Jessica Hooten Wilson.
Video, On Being Human: Jessica Hooten Wilson

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Images: St. Teresa de Jesus, after Jose de Ribera, Museo del Prado, personal use. St. Francis de Sales, by Francisco Ignacio Ruiz de la Iglesia, Wikimedia Commons, public domain. St. Teresa de Jesus (aka of Avila) and St. Francis de Sales are patron saints of writers.

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