Writing Catholic Novels

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Since 2009, every November I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I join thousands of people all over the world in the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It’s a great way to meet new friends and anguish together about getting your characters in line and your plot holes covered. I’m not a particularly good writer actually, very poor in fact… English was definitely not my strongest subject in school. (For reference, I’m an engineer.)

But ideas consistently pop up in my head about Catholic novels. Every few weeks or so, I get a “random” plot bunny that shows up and dances around my head for awhile. I ponder about it for a few days, about characters, setting, climax/ending, etc., and it eventually gets left at the wayside (work, family, any other excuses you can think of). It’s never the “one” story to get me interested enough to write it completely out.

And then an amazing story popped up, and I thought about it for weeks now about how the characters would interact, resolve the conflict, and have an incredible plot twist (that people would’ve probably guessed at that point, but still exciting anyway). Best of all things, it’s a Catholic novel, which is such a rarity these days.

I’ve thought that God has a reason for it all, that maybe one day I can write a decent novel, but I’m always discouraged about my lack of natural writing experience/talent/skill and how I don’t believe people would want to read it. I’m always hesitant because I want it to touch people’s lives and I feel like I have everything against me even if I tried. Writing a novel is not easy, and takes a lot of effort to even accomplish.

TL;DR. Just a general feeler questions then… Should I write out this, what I think is an amazing, Catholic novel idea anyway, even if no one reads it or cares? Is what I’m feeling just discouragement that should be thrown out the window? Is it worth the fight?

Thanks for responding! God bless!
-roundcheese
 
roundcheese said:
Since 2009, every November I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I join thousands of people all over the world in the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It’s a great way to meet new friends and anguish together about getting your characters in line and your plot holes covered. I’m not a particularly good writer actually, very poor in fact… English was definitely not my strongest subject in school. (For reference, I’m an engineer.)

But ideas consistently pop up in my head about Catholic novels. Every few weeks or so, I get a “random” plot bunny that shows up and dances around my head for awhile. I ponder about it for a few days, about characters, setting, climax/ending, etc., and it eventually gets left at the wayside (work, family, any other excuses you can think of). It’s never the “one” story to get me interested enough to write it completely out.

And then an amazing story popped up, and I thought about it for weeks now about how the characters would interact, resolve the conflict, and have an incredible plot twist (that people would’ve probably guessed at that point, but still exciting anyway). Best of all things, it’s a Catholic novel, which is such a rarity these days.

I’ve thought that God has a reason for it all, that maybe one day I can write a decent novel, but I’m always discouraged about my lack of natural writing experience/talent/skill and how I don’t believe people would want to read it. I’m always hesitant because I want it to touch people’s lives and I feel like I have everything against me even if I tried. Writing a novel is not easy, and takes a lot of effort to even accomplish.

TL;DR. Just a general feeler questions then… Should I write out this, what I think is an amazing, Catholic novel idea anyway, even if no one reads it or cares? Is what I’m feeling just discouragement that should be thrown out the window? Is it worth the fight?

Thanks for responding! God bless!
-roundcheese
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Do it. Engaging in the creative process, doing something challenging are good things to do. Do it and see if you have a passion for it. If writing is a passion for you it will be an enriching experience. If you publish your work, it can be an enriching experience for others.

Not a writer but I am a reader; I am better for the good books and stories I’ve read.

Good luck! 🙂
 
roundcheese said:
Since 2009, every November I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I join thousands of people all over the world in the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It’s a great way to meet new friends and anguish together about getting your characters in line and your plot holes covered. I’m not a particularly good writer actually, very poor in fact… English was definitely not my strongest subject in school. (For reference, I’m an engineer.)

But ideas consistently pop up in my head about Catholic novels. Every few weeks or so, I get a “random” plot bunny that shows up and dances around my head for awhile. I ponder about it for a few days, about characters, setting, climax/ending, etc., and it eventually gets left at the wayside (work, family, any other excuses you can think of). It’s never the “one” story to get me interested enough to write it completely out.

And then an amazing story popped up, and I thought about it for weeks now about how the characters would interact, resolve the conflict, and have an incredible plot twist (that people would’ve probably guessed at that point, but still exciting anyway). Best of all things, it’s a Catholic novel, which is such a rarity these days.

I’ve thought that God has a reason for it all, that maybe one day I can write a decent novel, but I’m always discouraged about my lack of natural writing experience/talent/skill and how I don’t believe people would want to read it. I’m always hesitant because I want it to touch people’s lives and I feel like I have everything against me even if I tried. Writing a novel is not easy, and takes a lot of effort to even accomplish.

TL;DR. Just a general feeler questions then… Should I write out this, what I think is an amazing, Catholic novel idea anyway, even if no one reads it or cares? Is what I’m feeling just discouragement that should be thrown out the window? Is it worth the fight?

Thanks for responding! God bless!
-roundcheese
Click to expand...
As a working professional who has and does interact with a lot of writers. Job one: Still that little voice that says “I can’t do it” or “No one will read it or care.” One thing I learned about athletes (and I’m not) is that having the right mental attitude was more important than the training. And it’s true.

I’ve heard people talk about all the necessary day to day things that prevent them from writing. Can you spare an hour every other day? Make a decision.

If you have ideas popping into your head, that’s a good sign. Unlike building a deck, writing is hard but not impossible. I think anyone with the inclination can be taught to write. My advice? Do it. If it touches even one person, do it. In the olden days, we did not have print on demand or ebooks. We did not have facebook or blogs or any of the other huge advantages writers have today for getting a book out and noticed.

Anything worth doing takes time. Creativity is not like making widgets. When I talk about plot, pacing, dialogue, atmosphere, character development… a lot of people’s eyes usually glaze over. If you understand how to do that, you’re already ahead. And remember, we all start as amateurs.

Write down whatever pops into your head: bits of dialogue - anything. Our head writer has a plot summary and usually writes chapters out of order since he’ll feel inspired to develop one part before going on to another. He has new ideas all the time.

Best,
Ed
 
roundcheese said:
TL;DR. Just a general feeler questions then… Should I write out this, what I think is an amazing, Catholic novel idea anyway, even if no one reads it or cares? Is what I’m feeling just discouragement that should be thrown out the window? Is it worth the fight?
-roundcheese
Click to expand...
I’d like to share a little our experiences, since my husband and I have both written and self-published fiction. I have been a fan of religious fiction. The recent Protestant fiction explosion has been catching on a little with Catholics, and I hope will grow more.

My husband is a retired engineer who became a local historian. His book was set in the lumber era and we self-published it and sold it through our local history museum. Many people responded enthusiastically and he sold it for over 10 years.

I have written and self-published 3 religious fiction books, including adventure and mystery. Unfortunately, I just don’t seem to have the ability to sell books. But my writing has been satisfying in the sense of trying to evangelize and edify (see my signature). My first book, Mission: Faithful, was written before the digital age, but I was happy to have it accepted by several of our district libraries. My second, Unto Others: A Mystery, is about an illegal immigrant in Michigan. The third, Biotech Swirl, is a medical thriller and warning against the perils we face concerning biotechnology. Unto Others is also in a few branches of our library and I offer the latter two free on my blog.

(The direct links are:

womanatwell.blogspot.com/p/biotech-swirl.html

womanatwell.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_3.html ).

Writing is indeed hard work, and I would say be sure to not neglect your family. But if you set aside a certain amount of time for yourself each week, the work can get done slowly but surely. One advantage to publishing yourself is that you are not tied to a deadline by a publisher. The Internet Age makes it possible (especially if you have a blog) to try to get your story out. But you still need to promote it no matter what and that takes special talent.
 
I would encourage you, likewise, to get writing no matter what you feel personally about your style. The only way one can improve, in anything, is by doing it and not being afraid to do so. If you feel inspired, that is brilliant 👍

I’ve never got around to writing even a full chapter but I am interested in doing so. I have a great many ideas in my head, including for novels with religious themes and a subtext of Catholic moralism, albeit underneath a conventional plot and genre. I would prefer, personally, to keep it subtle so as to reach a broader readership.
 
womanatwell said:
I’d like to share a little our experiences, since my husband and I have both written and self-published fiction. I have been a fan of religious fiction. The recent Protestant fiction explosion has been catching on a little with Catholics, and I hope will grow more.
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Thanks for the links, I’ve skimmed one of your novels (the one about immigrants) and it is very well written. You have me impressed. Your story ideas are also very creative. 👍
 
The thing is to write every day, even if you think it’s terrible, write anyway. And if you’re not certain about grammar and sentence construction, there are helps for that online. Just keep plugging away.

I have had a couple of things published. A scriptural rosary was my first foray into gettng published. Then I published a mythological fantasy for young people. I’ve written a futuristic sci-fi novel, a sci-fi screenplay, and adapted a C. S. Lewis book into a screenplay. And I write on CAF every day, as well. Apologetics is a good way to learn to write cogent sentences that make sense to readers. 😉 Whatever kind of writing you want to do, just do it–for fun, for training, and perhaps your work will come to be a blessing to others, as well. 🙂
 
One way to get started is to get yourself a bunch of 3x5 cards. Then write a note for each individual scene on a separate card.

That way you can tell if you have a story that’s worth pursuing. You can also, if necessary, rearrange the cards to have scenes fall in a different place in the story. Once you have all that done, you have an outline to follow.

I’ve written three Christian novels, and I find this system works well. (My second novel, Nearer the Dawn, is on the Top Rated list at catholicfiction.net.)

P.S. Don’t worry if your first draft is terrible. All first drafts are terrible. The only purpose of a first draft is to get your scene into your Word program. Then you have something to work with, to edit, to revise.

If you need more help, feel free to PM me. 🙂
 
Kay_Cee said:
One way to get started is to get yourself a bunch of 3x5 cards. Then write a note for each individual scene on a separate card.

That way you can tell if you have a story that’s worth pursuing. You can also, if necessary, rearrange the cards to have scenes fall in a different place in the story. Once you have all that done, you have an outline to follow.

I’ve written three Christian novels, and I find this system works well. (My second novel, Nearer the Dawn, is on the Top Rated list at catholicfiction.net.)

P.S. Don’t worry if your first draft is terrible. All first drafts are terrible. The only purpose of a first draft is to get your scene into your Word program. Then you have something to work with, to edit, to revise.

If you need more help, feel free to PM me. 🙂
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Good advice and thank you. I did not know there was a catholicfiction.net

Ed
 
NaNoWriMo! When I participated in 2009, I wrote the draft of what became my first published mystery novel, “End of the Road”. I tanked after 25k words, but my husband and his sister read what I had written and said, “Finish it.”

Now, working on the third book in the series, I still hear them–and other readers who like my stories–telling me “finish it” whenever I stall out. I guarantee, I edit out at least 50% of what I write in my initial draft. It’s like panning for gold.

I work a full-time job, plus a part-time job and I have a family that I have to take care of. AND there is all the promo work that goes along with getting your work published (sometimes, writing it IS the easy part!) But I have learned that in order to be a writer, you don’t “find” time to write… you MAKE time to write. Every day. Every week.

Check out KayCee’s link at catholicfiction.net. You’ll find invaluable advice on writing the Catholic novel. And check out my blog, The Back Deck Blog, for writing advice from me and other published writers (some from my publishing house, some from Catholic Writers Guild members): amymbennettbooks.blogspot.ca/

Good luck and write on!
 
Write it. Beginning, middle, end.

It’s the only way you learn how to write a novel and the only way you get better at writing them.

I wrote ten books before I had one published. (Slow learner!)
 
Vouthon said:
Thanks for the links, I’ve skimmed one of your novels (the one about immigrants) and it is very well written. You have me impressed. Your story ideas are also very creative. 👍
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Thanks for checking out my books and the kind words. 🙂
 
roundcheese said:
Since 2009, every November I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I join thousands of people all over the world in the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It’s a great way to meet new friends and anguish together about getting your characters in line and your plot holes covered. I’m not a particularly good writer actually, very poor in fact… English was definitely not my strongest subject in school. (For reference, I’m an engineer.)

But ideas consistently pop up in my head about Catholic novels. Every few weeks or so, I get a “random” plot bunny that shows up and dances around my head for awhile. I ponder about it for a few days, about characters, setting, climax/ending, etc., and it eventually gets left at the wayside (work, family, any other excuses you can think of). It’s never the “one” story to get me interested enough to write it completely out.

And then an amazing story popped up, and I thought about it for weeks now about how the characters would interact, resolve the conflict, and have an incredible plot twist (that people would’ve probably guessed at that point, but still exciting anyway). Best of all things, it’s a Catholic novel, which is such a rarity these days.

I’ve thought that God has a reason for it all, that maybe one day I can write a decent novel, but I’m always discouraged about my lack of natural writing experience/talent/skill and how I don’t believe people would want to read it. I’m always hesitant because I want it to touch people’s lives and I feel like I have everything against me even if I tried. Writing a novel is not easy, and takes a lot of effort to even accomplish.

TL;DR. Just a general feeler questions then… Should I write out this, what I think is an amazing, Catholic novel idea anyway, even if no one reads it or cares? Is what I’m feeling just discouragement that should be thrown out the window? Is it worth the fight?

Thanks for responding! God bless!
-roundcheese
Click to expand...
I think you should go for it roundcheese. Try setting up a daily quota in order to make it less daunting and more doable. At one point in his life, Ernest Hemingway’s workload was one “perfect” typed page per day. If you tried that approach you’d have a beefy novel in a year’s time. Plus, you could always push it further on days when you’re on a roll. Also, what seems to work best is to create characters first, and then just let go and let them do whatever they do. That seems to produce the most lively fiction.🤷
 
edwest2 said:
Every story needs a structure. A pre-planned structure.

Ed
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Sort of. Sometimes it works best to have a structure in mind, but then allow characters to interact however they want.

A good character is alive and real, and the author can’t control what they do without destroying them and taking away the work’s life.
 
Exiled_Child said:
Sort of. Sometimes it works best to have a structure in mind, but then allow characters to interact however they want.

A good character is alive and real, and the author can’t control what they do without destroying them and taking away the work’s life.
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They do the author’s bidding, not the other way around. I’ve learned it’s harder to be an author than an artist. Think of a movie: every scene, every word is planned in advance.

Ed
 
Are you going to do Camp NaNoWriMo next month? It’s even got a bonus day!

I’ve been doing this since 2010, and it’s just a great way for getting stories onto paper. I’ve never written a Catholic novel (all my stuff is fantasy), but they’ve always got some sort of religious theme to them.

WE NEED MORE CATHOLIC WRITERS! If you’ve got a good story, go for it. Maybe you’ll be surprised with the result. 👍
 
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