Evening meetings at the University of Dallas

It's easy to lose creative steam during the grey, gloppy days of a Texas winter. But I always find my writer's enthusiasm recharged when I attend one of our evening meetings at the University of Dallas. That's because many of the writers at these meetings are UD undergraduates, whose enthusiasm and creativity are infectious. You can find out for yourself if you attend our next meeting this Tuesday, February 14.

2017: Write One Day at a Time

The approach to New Year's Day sees a lot of people writing -- lists of resolutions for the new year, that is. Maybe your list includes resolutions to maintain a writing routine this year, or to get that book finished or that article published, etc. Me? I've given up on New Year's Resolutions — not because I don't want to change my life for the better, but for the opposite reason.

You see, I've figured out that grand resolutions are a recipe for failure. I actually get a lot more done by setting short-term goals that will inch me toward my larger goals. So I set daily and weekly goals — very specific ones — and I keep track of my progress so that I'm accountable to myself, if no one else. Since I began this practice a year or so ago, I find that I really am more successful than I was when I aimed at larger, more distant targets.

Do You Have a Writing Vocation?

Do you find you really want to write more, but have trouble finding the time? Perhaps that is because you still think of writing as an avocation, a hobby, rather than a vocation, a true calling.

Those who feel they may have a religious vocation enter deliberately and prayerfully into a period of testing that vocation. As aspirants, they begin to acquire the habits that will allow them to persevere in that vocation. Shouldn't those who feel they may have a writing vocation do the same?

Test Your Writing Vocation

Let's take this analogy a little farther: one thing that makes it possible to persevere in the religious life is an acknowledgment that one's time must be structured, so that it will be well-spent. Traditionally, for instance, monastic life has always depended on a well structured horarium, a daily schedule that makes time for work and prayer, as well as recreation.

The Discovery Draft: Permission to make a mess

It's time for our "first Tuesday" meetings — midday at Sacred Heart Books & Gifts in far north Dallas, evening at the University of Dallas in Irving, November 1 at the usual times. Why not bring a sample of something you're working on for peer critique? Don't worry about bringing something that's already polished — you don't need to impress us. In fact, you'll get much more benefit if, instead of bringing a polished draft, you bring a discovery draft.

New Editing Service for Indie Catholic Authors

Recent visitors to this blog may have noticed one small, unobtrusive addition to the navigation bar above: “Need an Editor?” Clicking the link will take you directly to MiteyEditing.com, a new editing service especially for new and indie Catholic writers.

A uniquely affordable editing service

What makes this editing service unique? First, it is available only to Catholic authors who write works (fiction or non-fiction) that are in some way motivated and illuminated by the Catholic faith. Second, writers may negotiate to arrive at a fee that they can afford. The editor will do everything she can to make quality editing available to those who really want it. If you would like to know more, fill out the query form on the Mitey Editing website.

Twice-monthly meetings at the University of Dallas begin this Tuesday

The Fall schedule of DFW Catholic Writers meetings at the University of Dallas has been confirmed. This semester the group will meet twice a month, on the evenings of the first and third Tuesdays of the month.

That means that this Tuesday, September 20, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., any Catholic writer in the area is welcome and invited to gather with other writers to share, discuss, and critique works-in-progress. There are a number of eager young student novelists from the UD population who meet along with writers from the wider community, so there is always a lively discussion. Those who wish to get feedback on their writing should bring 6-8 copies of a sample of approximately 1,000 words or less.

Will you join us? Find details on the meeting time and place here.

If you want to make sure you never miss a meeting, contact Nancy Ward  to get on the email list. You can also sign up to receive all blog posts by email. Just fill in the form in the right-hand sidebar.

New meeting place, New day ... New members?

There are lots of new things in store for the Dallas/Fort Worth Catholic Writers Group.

New meeting day and location

First, our lunchtime meetings are moving to a new day and place. From now on, we'll meet at Sacred Heart Books and Gifts in far north Dallas, on the first Tuesday of each month (from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) Bring your lunch if you wish. Sacred Heart has moved to a new, larger space (just two doors down from their former space), where they now have a community room suitable for our meetings. (Click here for a map.) We've enjoyed meeting the past three years at Half Price Books, but we are happy now to accept the hospitality of the premiere Dallas Catholic bookstore.

New status for University of Dallas meetings

Second, evening meetings at the University of Dallas will resume, now that a new academic term has begun. Dr. Bernadette Waterman-Ward, writer and UD faculty member who acted as convener for the UD meetings, is on sabbatical in Wyoming this year, however, so the group has been officially listed as a student group on campus so that it can reserve a meeting space without a faculty sponsor (non-students are still very welcome). We are not yet sure exactly where and when we will meet, but expect to be able to announce the new time and place very soon.

New members — will you be one?

Finally, we are hoping to see some new faces at our meetings this fall — or maybe some we just haven't seen in a while. We encourage active writers and aspiring writers alike to attend. If you would like to get some peer critiques from a work in progress, bring half a dozen copies to share. Even if you don't have a sample to share, you can help other writers by giving them feedback on their work. Most importantly, you can give and receive encouragement. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but it needn't be a lonely one. We all benefit from the help and encouragement of our peers.

So put our lunchtime meetings on your calendar for the first Tuesday of each month. Come and visit Sacred Heart Books and Gifts in their new digs, and maybe plan to spend a little extra time checking out their inventory, or pick out a space on their shelves where you would like to see your book someday.

If you want to make sure you never miss a meeting, contact Nancy Ward to get on the email list. You can also sign up to receive all blog posts by email. Just fill in the form in the right-hand sidebar.