Category: Virtues
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300 blog posts! And 200 (okay, 199) subscribers! Thank you! And yes, persistence pays off.
I would lie if I said my relationship to blogging these days is anything other than love/hate. I think the issue is I am comparing this blog to the blog I ran in blogging’s heyday back in 2012-2014, when I got thousands of hits a month. Sigh. But I’ve been running this blog for almost…
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Sunday Reflection: guard your thoughts
St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading at Mass, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4) In another letter, St.…
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Sunday Reflection: it’s how you END
Today’s Gospel at Mass stresses the parable of two sons: one tells his father he will go out and work in the vineyard, but doesn’t. The other says he won’t, but then ends up ultimately obeying his father. St. Augustine said, and he would know from personal experience, that “every saint has a past, and…
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Frodo Baggins: heroism without glory
That Frodo Baggins is a great hero shouldn’t be a hot take, but it is. Samwise is a hero too. I’m not claiming otherwise. But too many people give Sam ALL the credit, all the glory. Why don’t enough people recognize Frodo’s contribution? That’s what I want to explore in today’s post, because as writer,…
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The one trait every heroic character must have
Before I reveal the character trait this post is about, I want to distinguish between a protagonist and a hero. There are some fun protagonists who I wouldn’t call heroes. Ok, that said, what is the one trait every heroic character must have? drumroll please… Humility is the mother of giants. G.K. Chesterton Yes, it’s…
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When your writing career (or anything worthwhile) feels out of reach, shoot for consistency
We all go through periods of perspiration without measurable results. We all go through moments when an uphill climb feels never ending. This can take various forms in the life of an author. For instance: My best advice in this instance is twofold: Success very rarely happens overnight, and Henry Ford once defined luck as…
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On courage
G. K. Chesterton (he’s just about the most quotable guy ever) says in Orthodoxy that: “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.” For YEARS now, I cannot think think of this quote without thinking that it would be a perfect…
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On hope: why it’s worth fighting for
I find it intriguing that, as I work toward re-releasing my fantasy trilogy (and then a prequel), the publisher I’m working with suggested “The Fight for Hope” as a subtitle for the first installment. They suggested a few other subtitles, none of which I liked at all. “The Fight for Hope” grabbed at me, and…
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When you’re stuck in survival mode
Survival mode is NOT fun. We’ve all been there. My most recent experience with survival mode was after leaving religious life. I was only there nine months as a postulant, but all my hopes and plans for my life collapsed. I’d say I was in survival mode for a good 18 months after that, until…
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Endurance and discipline: the virtues of writing
I don’t think it’s controversial to propose that for each one of us, certain virtues come easier than others. Temperament as well as personal history probably play a role in this, but the fact is, we all find some virtues easier to practice than others. Some people can be naturally cheerful, even when they feel…
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 