Catholicism and writing fiction

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LilyPearls

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Are there any saints who wrote fiction? I love to write but I wonder how well writing fiction and religion mesh. Writing about idolatry generally means ruminating on idolatry. Writing about the occult means ruminating on a researching the occult. Do you see where I’m going? I really don’t like Francine Rivers type books; I prefer a more literary gritty style, though this generally means the subject matter is darker.

Can a lady strive for sainthood and write fiction?
 
Why not?

They’re not canonized, but GK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien and Flannery O’Connor were all fervent Catholics.

I think it’s fine to depict dark, and even immoral, things, as long as one doesn’t glorify them. They are part of the human condition.

God Bless
 
bilop said:
Why not?

They’re not canonized, but GK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien and Flannery O’Connor were all fervent Catholics.

I think it’s fine to depict dark, and even immoral, things, as long as one doesn’t glorify them. They are part of the human condition.

God Bless
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I understand what you’re saying about not glorifying darkness and immorality. But reading a book full of darkness and immorality is different from writing a book full of the same. To write it you must submerge yourself in it. What I’m asking is more about holiness in the writing process, not the finished product. If a book is going to be something close to real life then it has to be a bit messy.

I suppose not sinning while writing would depend on the author, then. If a writer has a problem with alcoholism then it would be an occasion for sin to be writing a book about an alcoholic. The writer would be thinking about booze until the book is complete! And as you said don’t glorify evil.
 
What do you mean by gritty? Frankly, I’m getting tired of dark this and dark that.

I think 10% of writing is the craft itself. That is, knowing how to tell a story people will enjoy reading. The other 90% is research, which may mean finding out about real things that are unsettling but never presenting them in a positive or very graphic light. Of course, inventing unreal things that sound real is part of that.

Peace,
Ed
 
have you read flannery o’connor? i think her stories, what she wrote about and how she handled the themes, would answer your questions…
 
edwest2 said:
What do you mean by gritty? Frankly, I’m getting tired of dark this and dark that.

I think 10% of writing is the craft itself. That is, knowing how to tell a story people will enjoy reading. The other 90% is research, which may mean finding out about real things that are unsettling but never presenting them in a positive or very graphic light. Of course, inventing unreal things that sound real is part of that.

Peace,
Ed
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By gritty I mean very realistic, I try to write so that the reader can feel the tension. The realism is gritty, kind of like sandpaper. Depending on the subject matter it might make you slightly uncomfortable. It is not some fanciful romance novel, neither is it a tragedy. It is realistic, raw, and to the bones.

Are you tired of dark this and dark that? Thankfully there are enough books on the market that you can find whatever suits your fancy. I choose what I write about by taking some feelings, prejudices, biases or something else deep in my heart that I’m barely aware of and build a fictitious story around it. It’s cathartic. I write because I can’t afford a therapist, it has nothing to do with the reader.
 
bilop said:
Why not?

They’re not canonized, but GK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien and Flannery O’Connor were all fervent Catholics.

I think it’s fine to depict dark, and even immoral, things, as long as one doesn’t glorify them. They are part of the human condition.

God Bless
Click to expand...
Very true. And Flannery O’Connor was amazing at depicting the dark, even immoral, things. I have all of her works, even a collection of letters she wrote. She’s fantastic!
 
LilyPearls said:
Are there any saints who wrote fiction? I love to write but I wonder how well writing fiction and religion mesh. Writing about idolatry generally means ruminating on idolatry. Writing about the occult means ruminating on a researching the occult. Do you see where I’m going? I really don’t like Francine Rivers type books; I prefer a more literary gritty style, though this generally means the subject matter is darker.

Can a lady strive for sainthood and write fiction?
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St. Thomas More…? Is “Utopia” sufficiently fictional…? 🙂

For that matter, I suspect that (while being a judge) he had a good reason to find out about all kinds of crimes in detail. Or, for example, do you think that apologists could do their job without any study of false doctrines (for example, idolatry you mentioned)…? Sometimes, finding out about evil is necessary. Thus, let’s say, trying to condemn idolatry without actually knowing what it is should better be left to Protestants (the ones who look for “idolatry” in Catholicism). 🙂
 
As several posters have noted, there are many great Catholic authors. One (who hasn’t been listed yet) is Michael O’Brien. I just thought I should throw his name into the mix if we’re going to talk about great Catholic fiction authors.
 
Another one is Graham Greene - I have only read one of his, “The End of the Affair”. It is what you might call gritty, but with strong Catholic themes. Rather than a “Catholic author” he preferred to be considered “an author who is Catholic”. This is also how I would describe Tolkien, for example - Catholicism is inherent in their outlook and worldview, and thus their work, even if they’re not writing explicitly about the church.
 
Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I’m very grateful, I really am. However, I’m not asking for a list of Catholic authors. I’m asking if sainthood and writing fiction mix, emphasis on the writing aspect. By sainthood I don’t mean seeking to be canonized, but trying to be as holy as you possibly can. What I want to talk about is where sin can sneak in on writers.

Pride if the work performs well is an obvious one. Clearly writing gossip pieces is wrong. What about what Stephen Colbert is doing? He’s a writer and a Catholic who roasts Church leaders all the time. I personally have no problem with his work. To be honest, his show helped my conversion along, but some people believe everything he does professionally to be chock-full of sin.

When does writing or the writer’s process become sinful? Particularly as it relates to writing fiction.
 
LilyPearls said:
Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I’m very grateful, I really am. However, I’m not asking for a list of Catholic authors. I’m asking if sainthood and writing fiction mix, emphasis on the writing aspect. By sainthood I don’t mean seeking to be canonized, but trying to be as holy as you possibly can. What I want to talk about is where sin can sneak in on writers.

Pride if the work performs well is an obvious one. Clearly writing gossip pieces is wrong. What about what Stephen Colbert is doing? He’s a writer and a Catholic who roasts Church leaders all the time. I personally have no problem with his work. To be honest, his show helped my conversion along, but some people believe everything he does professionally to be chock-full of sin.

When does writing or the writer’s process become sinful? Particularly as it relates to writing fiction.
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Pope John Paul II will soon be a saint, and he wrote a play in his younger days. 🙂

And while I can see about how sin can sneak in on writers, I don’t think it’s a particularly huge problem. More than pride, compromising on one’s values or beliefs to sell copies would probably be the biggest temptation. 🙂
 
LilyPearls said:
Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I’m very grateful, I really am. However, I’m not asking for a list of Catholic authors. I’m asking if sainthood and writing fiction mix, emphasis on the writing aspect. By sainthood I don’t mean seeking to be canonized, but trying to be as holy as you possibly can. What I want to talk about is where sin can sneak in on writers.

Pride if the work performs well is an obvious one. Clearly writing gossip pieces is wrong. What about what Stephen Colbert is doing? He’s a writer and a Catholic who roasts Church leaders all the time. I personally have no problem with his work. To be honest, his show helped my conversion along, but some people believe everything he does professionally to be chock-full of sin.

When does writing or the writer’s process become sinful? Particularly as it relates to writing fiction.
Click to expand...
You would do well to read the personal letters of Flannery O’Connor. Not only was she Catholic, but a devout Catholic who viewed her mission as revealing the reality of Grace through her very dark and disturbing work. She was also quite the theologian, and recently opening a cause for her canonization has been discussed. She discusses the themes you are talking about and how a Catholic writes fiction in many of her essay’s and lectures.
 
LilyPearls said:
Are there any saints who wrote fiction? I love to write but I wonder how well writing fiction and religion mesh. Writing about idolatry generally means ruminating on idolatry. Writing about the occult means ruminating on a researching the occult. Do you see where I’m going? I really don’t like Francine Rivers type books; I prefer a more literary gritty style, though this generally means the subject matter is darker.

Can a lady strive for sainthood and write fiction?
Click to expand...
Michael O’Brien is my favorite fiction writer. These is no doubt his work is thoroughly Catholic and he tackles some gritty and darker subject matters.

ignatius.com/Products/CategoryCenter.aspx?AuthorID=10006

www.studiobrien.com

His works have depth and are not a “light, easy read”.

For other genres:

catholic-fiction.com/free-catholic-ebooks/

Finally, this group was represented at our homeschool conference last year:
catholicwritersguild.org/
 
TRH1292 said:
You would do well to read the personal letters of Flannery O’Connor. Not only was she Catholic, but a devout Catholic who viewed her mission as revealing the reality of Grace through her very dark and disturbing work. She was also quite the theologian, and recently opening a cause for her canonization has been discussed. She discusses the themes you are talking about and how a Catholic writes fiction in many of her essay’s and lectures.
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Just ordered a collection of her essays. Thanks for the suggestion. I’m a huge fan of her short stories but have never read her essays and had no idea some people are wanting to open a cause for her canonization. Awesome!
 
RPRPsych said:
Pope John Paul II will soon be a saint, and he wrote a play in his younger days. 🙂

And while I can see about how sin can sneak in on writers, I don’t think it’s a particularly huge problem. More than pride, compromising on one’s values or beliefs to sell copies would probably be the biggest temptation. 🙂
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It’s true. As a professional editor, I see such things in manuscripts all the time. I think too many beginning writers think profanity and graphic scenes or sexual scenes are OK because they’ve appeared in other books or short stories they’ve read. That it’s modern, or edgy. Editors are not just correcting bad grammar, they have the reputation of the company they work for to protect. We’re known as family friendly, so when I see words or scenes that need to go, the words are highlighted and I write in a replacement or graphic or sexual scenes are blocked out and the word “out” is written next to it.

Even with our best writers, we just don’t take a manuscript and publish it as is.

Peace,
Ed
 
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