Anne Faye

  I recently read The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. This is a spiritual but not religious book with the author, who is a music producer, believing in a generic high power. That being said, it did offer much to reflect on regarding living a creative life and producing art of any type. "Creativity is something you are, not only something you do. It's a way of moving through the world, every minute, every day." He emphasizes that art is not meant to be competitive or even a profitable venture (most people will need to do something else to have income). Rather, it is meant to be representative of who we are. It is also a collaboration. "You are in a constant dialogue with what is and what was." He also talks about dealing with the response to our art. "In the end, you are the only one who has to love it. The work is for you." He defines success as moving forward. We should complete our projects, share them, and begin another. We have very li...

 Why bother writing? I admit that this is a thought that has crossed my mind more than a few times lately (and by lately, I mean many of the last twenty years that I have been writing). It is hard to keep going when book sales and page views are minimal and the income produced is far below minimum wage. It is hard to see so many books out in the world with tons of reviews and sales and know that by comparison my work has failed (and by extension, I have failed), that very few people care about anything I write. To be fair, there are many writers in the same boat as me. Of course, I'm not actually able to stop writing, at least not without feeling even worse. God gave me this gift. I have all these ideas that need to get out or else they just sort of bubble inside of me if I don't work on them, taking up mental space that is better used for other tasks.   On my better days, I do realize that writing for one person matters, that perhaps a few someone's lives are a bit better...

  When I last wrote, I had just finished the handwritten version of The Charter Class . I'm happy to report that I have finished typing up that manuscript while doing a first round of edits. It ended up being a bit over 60,000 words which I am happy with. So, I have now printed it out and need to do the next (final?) edits. I'm hoping to maybe have it ready for Christmas. But, if not, then sometime in January.  I also need to come up with a cover. I've never struggled so hard to come up with a cover idea for a book. I had a vision in my head, but I wasn't able to find any stock photos that met that image. I tried to create something using photo-editing software, but that was a fail as well. Nothing is really speaking to me on this one, which is frustrating.  Anyway, that is the news on the new book. I will keep you posted!

 The Catholic Writers Guild is hosting its annual online writing conference February 23-24. It features presentations on faith and writing, chances to meet fellow authors, and opportunities to pitch to Catholic publishers like Ave Maria and Chrism Press. It’s totally online—no travel!—and costs $60. Learn more at https://catholicwritersguild.org/online-conference

    It's apparently been almost two years since I posted to this blog! I started working on a new novel in November as part of National Novel Writing Month, knowing full well I wouldn't even come close to finishing it in November. This has been more of a commitment of writing a few minutes (probably 15-20) on most days. It's a tale of a group of young women who are part of the first class of a Catholic women's college. It's the first time I've written an ensemble novel like this and the fictional characters feel like they have become my friends. I've enjoyed the process, filling up nearly four journals along the way. I like writing longhand (even though I have notoriously bad handwriting). I can take the journal with me wherever I am and simply write.  Alas, now the hard work begins. I have to type this up and edit. I am interested to see how many words I wrote! But anyway, this will take a while. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully it won't be anoth...

  It took about six weeks, but I finally finished typing The Lacemaker ! It ended up being about 56,000 words. Next up is proofreading and then sending it out to be beta read by a couple trusted colleagues/readers.  This has been such a project. All books are. I work as an editor in my other life. My life as a writer helps me understand the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into what they are sharing with me. After all that work, it is hard to put a book out in the world. It is harder still to have it be rejected or ignored. What if no one reads it? What if no one cares? As much as I know that the work is not me, the prospect is still painful. My life goes on whether or not this book succeeds in the world, but all the work will feel like it was for nothing. All my time and effort will feel worthless. I have had this happen with other projects. I'm not sure I can bear it again. But for now, the work continues. For the moment, there is still hope.

The Catholic Writers Guild has opened registration for its annual Catholic Writers Conference Online, the must-attend online event for Catholic writers. The conference is scheduled for September 20-22, 2019. Cost is $30 for Guild members and $45 for non-members. Registration is open at the Guild's website: https://catholicwritersguild.org/cwco-member-registration or https://catholicwritersguild.org/cwco-non-member-registration . This faith-focused, professional writing conference is being held completely online through webinars with audio-visual access. Attendees are able to ask questions of the presenters and receive knowledgeable feedback, and there is time between sessions for networking and socializing. The schedule is an immersive two and a half days covering all aspects of writing from idea conception to editing, publishing to marketing. Recordings and reference materials from the presentations will be available free to all conference attendees. ...

I had seen the hashtag #10minnovelists on Twitter but never realized it was a book until I Googled the hashtag! I was excited to discover that Write a Novel in Ten Minutes a Day was written by Katharine Grubb, a fellow homeschooler from my state of Massachusetts (not that I know her) and edited by Barbara Szyszkiewicz, a colleague from the Catholic Writers’ Guild.  It makes sense that a homeschooler would write this book because, for the most part, homeschooling parents only have little snippets of time in which to get non-essential tasks done. I especially love the subtitle of this book: “Because your dreams are worth 10 minutes.” Yes, your dreams are worth ten minutes and it is amazing what you can accomplish by simply setting aside a little bit of time each day to pursue something you love.  If you have always wanted to write that novel, but keep feeling like you are too busy, this might be just the book for you. You can also check out the website at ww...

I've been tossing around novel ideas in my head. That's always something of a fun process. I have a germ of an idea - could I make something out of it? The whispers of inspiration start coming. Will I listen? Should I listen? Is this what God wants me to be doing with my time right now? Is it really worth it to spend so much time on a project that I know will never recoup the cost in time or money? Is it worth it to write when my stories find such a small audience? Clearly, the literary world gets along just fine without my meager contributions. One of my friends posted this article today on writing: Who Will Buy Your Book? There are lots of words of wisdom there, but these really spoke to me: As a writer, you need to approach every project with the understanding that you’re doing this work for yourself, and everything that happens once it’s in the world is out of your control. Whatever project you’re working on now doesn’t derive value from your friends’ approval, but ...

Do you need time away to finish or start a manuscript? Work on that proposal? Organize your writing project? Finish work to meet your editor’s deadline? On October 8-12, 2017 the Catholic Writers Guild, for the fourth time, is offering a writers retreat near Lansing, Michigan. St. Francis Retreat and Conference Center , 703 E. Main Street, DeWitt, MI, is situated on a 93 acre site of woodlands, meadows, and prayer gardens. $550 includes a private room with a bath, three meals a day (and all the coffee you can drink!), internet access, breakout spaces, resource library, three daily presenters, critique sessions, Mass and reconciliation.   The power of the Catholic Writers Guild is why we can keep the cost so low! This retreat, offered every other year, is popular because it is a true writers retreat offering you abundant time to work at writing, and time to critique with other Catholic writers. You can register on line at http://tinyurl.com/cwgretreat2017 , or if you ha...

The Catholic Writers’ Guild will hold its annual online conference for writers Feb 17-19, 2017.  This faith-focused authors conference offers presentations covering all aspects of writing from the faith aspects of your calling as a writer to publishing and marketing your books.  There will also be online pitch sessions with noted Catholic publishers and secular publishers. Attendees must register by Feb 10 at https://catholicwritersguild.org/catholic-writers-conference-online-admission-non-members . The conference will be held using webinar software, making the experience more personal and immediate. "Last year, we had amazing success with presentations in webinar format. It took the learning to a new level," said organizer Karina Fabian. Fabian said the workshops offer terrific opportunities to ask in-depth questions and get feedback from knowledgeable instructors.    This year’s sessions include a wide range of talents, including speakers like Lisa Mladini...

I recently read Scribbling in the Sand by Michael Card. The book offers a reflection on creativity in terms of faith Card begins with the Gospel story of Jesus scribbling in the sand. A woman had been accused of adultery. The Pharisees had brought her to Jesus as part of a trick to find out what he would do. Instead of saying anything, Jesus bent down and wrote in the sand. Once he finished writing, he stood up and stated "Whoever is without sin, let him cast the first stone." We have no idea what Jesus wrote and it really doesn't matter. What Jesus did that morning created a space in tome that allowed the angry mob first to cool down, then to hear his word, and finally to think about it . . . It made time stand still. . . .Jesus' action created a frame around the silence - the kind of silence in which God speaks to the heart. In short, it was a supreme act of creativity. It was art. . . . All the art ever done in his name since that day cannot hope to be more...

Today, I am thrilled to host Karina Fabian as a guest blogger. By day, Karina is a mild-mannered reviewer of business software and services for TopTenReviews.com. After hours, she’s a psychic intent on saving the world; a snarky dragon who thinks he saves the world all-too regularly, a zombie exterminator who just wants her world clear of undead vermin, and Catholic religious sisters whose callings have taken them off our world. Needless to say, her imagination is vast, her stories legion, and her brain crowded. When she’s not converting her wild tales to stories, she’s enjoying time with her husband, Rob, their four kids, and their two dogs.   Her new work of Catholic Science Fiction, Discovery , is now available. Five Rules of Incorporating Faith into Fiction With the Enlightenment era came an anti-religious fervor that not only permeated science and philosophy but also literature. Now, some 200 years later, the pendulum is swinging back, and people are again interest...

In the July/August edition of Writer's Digest , Donna Baier Stein writes about using art as inspiration for writing. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but visual images can be an especially powerful source of writing ideas because they appeal to our senses and are in themselves a creative act. Stein offers some suggestions about where to find images including museums, online art collections, local galleries, books of art from the library, and collections of poster prints. I would add photographs to that list. We are bombarded with photo images today and every one has a story. When using these images as Ask questions about the image. Who is in it? What is the backstory? Can you think of an alternate backstory? Many works of literature have been inspired by art (and no doubt the opposite is also true). And yes, I have done this myself. My novel The Rose Ring was inspired by the wallpaper border in my kitchen. I spent years thinking I wanted to write a story about someone who l...

I recently read the New York Times Bestseller, The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett. This is an incredible debut novel. This is definitely a secular novel, but the prose was amazing and the story line kept you thinking. I didn't want to put this one down. It tells the story of Eva and Jim throughout their lives. It actually tells the story three different ways (which if you have a poor memory like me can be confusing - I had to keep going back to remind myself what was going on in that particular version). The only thing that happened for certain was that they met in college and that there is a lasting connection between them. After that, their lives took radically different paths depending on what they chose to do next, although their lives do intersect in various places. Like life itself, all three versions had their joys and pains, but it made me think about the choices we make in life and how seemingly inconsequential decisions as well as the bigger choices can have long...

I think that one of the hardest things for a writer is to be unread or to be read by only a few people. In a world that always emphasizes the number of books sold, the number of followers, the number of likes and retweets, it can be painful to work in anonymity for a tiny audience. Yet, we are still called to write; the inspiration still whispers in our ear begging to be listened to and something is lost if we choose to ignore it. The editor's note by Kevin Larimer in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of Poets and Writers offers some encouragement: It's a New Year: There will be unexpected challenges and setbacks, fresh goals and accomplishments. No matter what we encounter, let's remember what is happening when we write and share our work. Whether thousands, hundreds, or dozens of people might read what we've written, or even if we reach just one single soul, we are being given an opportunity to create something bright in all this darkness. Shine.

I had written back in October that I was thinking about doing National Novel Writing Month this year, and I'm happy to report that it worked out well for me. It's the second time I've done this and both times I went in with the attitude that I would write what I could write doing the month, knowing full-well that 50,000 words simply wasn't going to happen. This year, I actually started October 28th, but I had to skip a few days during November so I figure it all works out in the end. I've often compared NaNoWriMo to a marathon experience. In light of that metaphor, I apparently wrote a half-marathon with a final total coming in at 25,024 - 92 double-spaced pages. I'm happy with that and thankful for the experience. I'd love to say that I'm going to continue and finish by January 1st, but let's be reasonable - this is December, and in the list of priorities in December (actually, in the list of priorities for most months), writing fiction is prett...

Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life by Robert Benson Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2014 Robert Benson, who writes and speaks about the practice of faith and spirituality and the art and craft of writing, has been writing for over forty years and has authored nearly twenty books. As such, he has something valuable to say about the art and craft of writing and has shared his accumulated wisdom in “Dancing on the Head of a Pen.” Benson freely admits that he is only sharing what works for him in his writing journey and has a humility and honesty that is refreshing in a world where people are often shouting “Look at me and the wonderful things that I have done!” No doubt individual writers will take or leave different parts of his method and advice, but there is something in these pages that will benefit every writer.  Here are just a couple words of wisdom I valued from this book. There are many more – pick up a copy and read it f...

In the interest of full disclosure, I have only done National Novel Writing Month once - back in 2008, and even then, it took me until January to finish the book. Still, I wouldn't have done it at all without that impetus and for that I am thankful. Those efforts turned into Through the Open Window , a novel about a woman who attempts National Novel Writing Month for the first time and gets much more than she bargained for. In the intervening years, I've written one other novel and part of a third, but November has always found me involved in other activities, and NaNoWriMo has passed by with just a wistful glance. This year, I do have a novel (novella?) that is perking. The germ of an idea came to me about a month ago, and I've been tossing it over. Is it worth it to invest time and energy in another story? While I am incredibly thankful for the small group of people who have read and enjoyed one of my stories, my writing career can certainly not be considered succes...

Day 5 of the Loyola Writing Retreat was about Writing to Savor . As I write this, I am grasping a few moments of precious solitude in the cafe area of my local grocery store, indulging in a Coke Zero and a pumpkin muffin. I haven't done this in such a long time, it is a moment to savor all by itself. But my moment of choice is actually from early this morning. The sun was coming up over the horizon and was hitting a tree in the backyard in just the right way so that the leaves were illuminated, the early morning dew glistening on each one. Meanwhile, there was a flock of birds, tweeting furiously, that chose that moment to descend upon the yard in search of breakfast. Some landed in the trees, while others picked the ground in eager anticipation of whatever tasty morsel they might find there. I watched for a minute, before the duties and chaos of the day called me away, but it was a grace-filled moment of beauty and peace.