If you’re a Roman Catholic poet, Catholic writer, or Catholic editor, you might be having trouble finding writing help with your unique needs in mind or spirit. This might also be true if you’re a Christian who sees the Catholic Church (catholic meaning universal) as the empowered body of Jesus Christ on earth. Either way, rejoice! Within these pages, you’ll find many helps for writing, editing, and revising that encourage you to speak well for Christ, Christianity, and the Church.

To invite accuracy and insight into your Christian writing project, start with prayer, The Bible, Research, and the Catechism. If you can’t decide which translation of the Bible to use, you may just need more information, so that’s been provided. You’ll also find writing help for Writing Well and improving your Nonfiction and Fiction Writing. As your work proceeds, Poetry Writing and Biblical Poetry can inspire you to include poetic techniques in your poems and also in your fiction and nonfiction. (Note the sub-menus on those pages for extra poetry tips and Bible-based poems.) To amplify your poetic voice even more, see Poetry: Taking Its Course.

The author of that book, Mary Harwell Sayler, is the poet, freelance writer, writing instructor, lifelong Bible student, and website owner who hopes to help other Catholic (and catholic) poets, writers, editors, and publishers through this website. To get acquainted, see her Bio. To get in touch, the Contact page has her current mail and email addresses.

If you want Mary to read a manuscript, picture book, batch of poems, or a book proposal to help you improve the work, her professional critique includes helpful suggestions and light editing. Although she hopes to encourage you and your ideas, her poetry critique or manuscript evaluation will frankly, but kindly, point out any weak areas that need correcting. However, she will also suggest solutions, make minor corrections, and objectively assess the work and its marketability. She wants you to succeed! So her personal goal is to help you develop your own voice (or product line) to honor God, upbuild the Church, have fun in your work, and keep on writing. So, come on in! Browse a bit. And may God bless, guide, and empower your Christian writing life.

(c) 2008, Mary Harwell Sayler, P.O. Box 62, Lake Como, FL 32157-0062

All Rights Reserved.

Are You A Published Writer, A Beginning Writer, or Someone In Between?

The type of help you need to improve your poetry, fiction, or nonfiction manuscript depends on where you are in your work. Christian poets and writers who have been writing a while and/or have begun a book and/or have some publishing credits will especially benefit from professional feedback in a Critique.

If you’re new to writing though, you may be wondering: Does my work show promise? Is this idea as fresh as I think? Would anyone buy this book (or article or whatever?) What would a “real editor” or “real reader” say? Have I made any terrible mistakes? Are the flaws fatal!

Actually, most mistakes can be corrected once you know what to look for, and a Critique can help you with that, especially if you’re working on a book proposal, children’s picture book, or batch of poems. If, however, you’re a beginning writer or an unpublished writer with projects you just don’t know how to plan, revise, finish, or improve, Contact Mary with a description of your work and needs, and she’ll let you know the fee for a one-on-one “mini-course” designed just for you. Or simply bundle up 10 to 15 or so typed pages and mail them to her with an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) for their return, a check for $100, and a note saying something like “Help!”