Category Archives: Catholic Writing

The Artistic Temperament is a Disease

“The artistic temperament is a disease that afflicts amateurs. It is a disease which arises from men not having sufficient power of expression to utter and get rid of the element of art in their being. It is healthful to every sane man to utter the art within him; it is essential to every sane man to get rid of the art within him at all costs. Artists of a large and wholesome vitality get rid of their art easily, as they breathe easily, or perspire easily. But in artists of less force, the thing becomes a pressure, and produces a definite pain, which is called the artistic temperament. Thus, the very great artists are able to be ordinary men – men like Shakespeare or Browning. There are many real tragedies of the artistic temperament, tragedies of vanity or violence or fear. But the great tragedy of the artistic temperament is that it cannot produce any art.” ~GK Chesterton, Heretics, 1905

A Facebook friend (and one from whom I learn much) posted this Chesterton quote in a debate thread.

It explains a lot (the quote, not the debate). I find it healthful to “utter the art from within;” however I fail to utter more often than I do utter. I aspire to write, and do so, but I don’t write more often than I do write. Such is the tired refrain of many so-called and self-referenced “aspiring writers.” We want to write, but don’t, and perhaps from that comes this “artistic temperament,” one of “vanity or violence or fear?” Vanity: the desire for the “writing life;” violence: the resulting self-loathing and esteem-reduction from failing to do what you’re supposed to; fear: fear of failure, that of discovering that you are horrible at writing, and maybe fear of success?

The funny thing is that I find writing to be therapeutic. I feel better after having done so and thus become the “sane man” when I “utter the art from within.” This partly stems from a feeling of accomplishment. “Hey, I wrote today!” Partly it comes from just the emotional and psychological release.

Perhaps this is a successor to my alcoholism. I knew I should stop drinking and why, but I feared doing so. I also lacked the strength or will to stop. I only did so because no other choice was offered. I was unable to physically go and replenish my stock and thus found myself in the hospital with DT’s. If I continued, I would die. So maybe the choice was helped along.

The parallel to writing? “No other choice but to write.” I have to develop the “sufficient power of expression to utter and get rid of the element of art in” my “being.” And I have to associate this need with sanity and survival.

I am a writer, it is what I (should) do, and to not do it is a type of death.

Interesting notion; now let’s see me put it to use.

From Isaac Asimov:

“I write for the same reason I breathe … because if I didn’t, I would die.”

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Listening to the Lost Voices

“Listening to the Lost Voices” is the working title of a short story I am writing. Oftentimes the story “seems to be writing itself.” Which is quite nice as writing can be painful, if the story can help out, great!

In short, it is a story involving a guy named John who can talk to people in Purgatory.

A few nicely odd things about this story: The self-doubt that normally defeats my fiction attempts is noticeably absent. I’ve taken to the notion that writing can be a form of therapy. I also think that pretty much all writing is autobiographical. Perhaps not so much that a writer picks an episode in their life and dramatizes it, but stuff from one’s life can serve as filler or material.

Another is that I am taking to heart some writing advice, which helps defeat the self-doubt I mentioned above. One bit of advice is from Ernest Hemingway, who said “The first draft of anything is shit.” That makes me feel better. Another is “If it ain’t on the page it ain’t on the stage.” I am not sure who said it, but it is something I picked up wayback when in a failed attempt at becoming a television and screenwriter. It originally meant the basic power of writers in an industry where they traditionally are disregarded: Hollywood. Directors, producers, actors get all the glory, but they can’t do diddly-squat until the writer writes and finishes. I have altered its meaning to be that “It ain’t gonna get done unless you get it written.” Profound, I know.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

In the Land of My Exile I Praise Him…

I’ve renamed this blog. Why? because I thought it was a little conceited to name it after myself, even though it is mine and is intended to be “my home on the web,” for general “woolgathering, sharing and writing.”

The new name is from the Old Testament Book of Tobit, Chapter 16, part of verse 6:

Tobit 13:6

“When you turn back to him with all your heart, to do what is right before him, Then he will turn back to you, and no longer hide his face from you. So now consider what he has done for you, and praise him with full voice. Bless the Lord of righteousness, and exalt the King of the ages. In the land of my exile I praise him, and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation. “Turn back, you sinners! do the right before him: perhaps he may look with favor upon you and show you mercy.”

(Via USCCB.)

As a faithful Catholic who reads the Bible, I fully understand that life on Earth is a life in exile. Our true home is Heaven, and that land is where we trudge towards on our daily journey.

As a writer and blogger, I seek to employ my talents, whatever they are, to Praise the Lord. He gave me what talents I possess, and therefore I hope to use them to glorify Him.

Hence the name of this blog.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

A Writer’s Prayer Upon Finishing a Work

I was randomly perusing the Old Testament today and chanced upon this passage from the Second Book of Maccabees:

2 Maccabees 15: 37-39: “Since Nicanor’s doings ended in this way, with the city remaining in the possession of the Hebrews from that time on, I will bring my story to an end here too. If it is well written and to the point, that is what I wanted; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that is the best I could do. Just as it is unpleasant to drink wine by itself or just water, whereas wine mixed with water makes a delightful and pleasing drink, so a skillfully composed story delights the ears of those who read the work. Let this, then, be the end. “

(Via USCCB.)

I thought that it would make a good prayer for any writer to say upon finishing a work. You can replace “Nicanor’s doings ended in this way, with the city remaining in the possession of the Hebrews from that time on,” with something relevant to your novel or short story, but you get the idea.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

November Writing (Nanowrimo)

This is November, and among those who aspire or perspire to be writers, that means one thing: Nanowrimo. Nanowrimo is “NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth.” It is an exercise in writing insanity dating back to the late 1990s in which participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel during November’s 30 days. Obviously this novel would be a very rough draft, only the ignorant or seriously delusional would think the completed project would be anything other than garbage.

 

I tried it in 2006 and failed miserably. I think I started something, made it to 1,500 words, didn’t like that switched to something else, made it to 1,700 words, and finally decided that there was no chance I’d succeed.

 

I had planned on doing it this year, even signed up at the site: My Nanowrimo profile. But in the end I decided to bow out before beginning…

 

…and then I was driving home today from an impromptu Holy Hour at my parish. I was mulling over my backlog of blog posts and decided that a variant of Nanwrimo can assist me in clearing it out. And so I will attempt to utilize the spirit of Nanowrimo and if not write 50,000 words across my 3 blogs, at least get to somewhere in the 5 figure range.

 

It may not be completely impossible. This is November, the “Month of the Dead,” and one of my blogs, The Four Last Things is typically due for some major work during it.

 

Add that I can use this blog for daily musing and filler, and my first blog Sober Catholic is where the bulk of the backlog is, and I can get to somewhere in the 5 figure range!

 

I can also work on the novel I had planned on using for Nanowrimo, albeit in a more traditional method (100’s of words, maybe daily.)

OK, so that’s it. I’m gonna try it. On to the Nanowrimo site and update my profile and join the rebel group. (Nanowrimo rebels are, from what I can see, a bunch of Nanowrimo’s who break the simple rules of the organization (which are basically that you have to write and original novel, and that you cannot begin the prose work on it until midnight of November 1st. You can do research, write backstories, character sketches and outline, but no actual novel writing until the stroke of November begins.)

 

So now I will run off to the Nanowrimo site and update my profile and join the rebels!! (I will be an honest rebel, though. I will only claim “Participant” status should I actually blog 50,000 words, or come reasonably close to blogging daily and get that 5-figure word count. I’ll also admit that I didn’t actually write any novel.)

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

On Suffering, Writing and being a Catholic Writer

One time when I was driving around I heard something on the radio about how “nothing bad ever happens to writers” because what other people call “bad” is just “material” for writers.

On other words, if something bad happens to you, use it in some writing project. Take advantage of the bad and transform it into something good.

This reminded me of how we as Catholics are supposed to view suffering: to accept them all as an opportunity to share in the sufferings of Christ on Calvary and become more closer to Him. To paraphrase Jesus in Matthew 16:24; “If you wish to be my disciple take up your Cross and follow me.”

Well, then it seems as if the best way for a Catholic to cope with the meanness of life is to be a writer (or some other artistic person). The bad things that happen to you are to be seen as necessary for your Salvation (See the “If you wish…” quote above) and as material for creative projects. There also lies the possibility of adding the command of “preach the Gospel to all Nations.” Use your suffering to unite with Christ and for material for projects and to show how this is the Gospel in action.

This doesn’t mean preaching literally the Gospel, but to paraphrase something originally attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use fiction.”

NOTE: All of the posts in August 2012 on Paul Sofranko Dot Net will be reposts from an earlier attempt at a general writing blog. New material will start appearing in September. These first few days are just “moving in” and “setting up”.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)