Religious writing begins with religiously researching each fact, double-checking everything, and not assuming anything!

You’ve probably heard the adage, “Write what you know!” but a professional approach might advise you, “Write what you know after you verify the accuracy of what you thought you knew!” Such care rates high in writing biblical poems, church curriculum, Bible stories, devotional material, and other Bible-based manuscripts, especially if you have been relying on what you learned about the Bible as a child!

Besides the importance of refreshing childhood memories and seeing familiar Bible stories from an adult perspective, even “Cradle Catholics” do well to look up each topic in the subject index of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to verify or better understand a Vatican II view. For more information, go to the Catechism section on this website. Or read the full texts of the Catechism, Vatican documents, and early Christian writings published on the Internet. (For help finding those documents, see Resources.) Then who knows? Your well-researched writing just might help to overcome some common misconceptions about our Lord Jesus Christ and The Church.

For an objective manuscript evaluation of poem(s), poetry chapbook, book of poems, children’s story, picture book text, or book proposal, see the current fees and what to expect on the Critique page. 

Where do poets & writers start research on Catholicism?

The Bible and the Catechism provide the first source in researching a nonfiction topic or the details of a story. You will also find help in resources such as a Bible dictionary, Bible atlas, biblical concordance, and Catholic encyclopedia - each of which can usually be found on the Internet or in larger bookstores. For additional help, see Resources. If your well-researched manuscript will instruct others in the Catholic faith, see the pdf file “The Permission To Publish” posted by the USCCB. For a list of U. S. Bishops click here.