Lighting a Fire Under the Catholic Imagination: The Catholic Writers Guild

By Erin Broestl

Michelangelo reminds us, “The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.” We need to cultivate great thoughts with excellent writing, and during the Easter season we strive to keep our focus on the biggest story of all: the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is a never-ending wellspring for our minds and hearts. How, then, can we stir up the fire of our imagination in the face of such a bleak time in history as this? 

The Lord is always working behind the scenes on this very thing. Every day, thousands of writers, artists, and creatives of every sort continue projects to further the kingdom of heaven. If we are humble enough to ask, the Lord will direct each project to successful completion. One such project on a grand scale is the Catholic Writer’s Guild. We are a group of international writers, graphic designers, illustrators, and others who are working to bring about a new renaissance in Catholic arts and letters. Our collaboration helps people learn every aspect of publishing and marketing.

The CWG has a website, a Facebook page, and a Discord chat room.  Membership is a very reasonable fee of $40 per year, which includes access to all the above, plus a blog and an awards program called the Seal of Approval. If you are lucky enough to visit us at a conference, you may be able to get a discounted membership on that day.  We also do an online conference and a writer’s retreat.  The Catholic Writers Guild encourages people to come together for the purpose of beating Thor and Loki to the punch. Why should the MCU have all the fun?

If humans can create Norse myths and video games, we can also create realms that open the imagination even further. God is so big, and the universe so vast that people will never tire of reaching for the stars and even the smallest glimpse of heaven. In just the last few years, Catholic fiction writing has exploded with all the force of Thor’s hammer. The Catholic Writers Guild authors have published children’s books, mysteries, historical fiction, gentle romance, dystopian, fantasy, and sci-fi that can rival any other books in quality and imagination. From the subtle to the dramatic, Catholic writing has the power to resurrect boring Hollywood sequels. But Michelangelo would be proud if we can write our faith as he painted the Sistine Chapel: with all the boldness and color of centuries of imagination on fire with the love of God.   

For more information and great books, visit www.catholicwritersguild.com.