So, lately, (again) I’ve been revising my novel, my second one. To say it’s Catholic is an understatement. Of course my main character spends the first half of it declaring how much of a heathen she is, she constantly gives her twin brother grief for being a priest and while she knows she knows she’s not really a heathen and while her brother’s vocation brings her pride, she won’t admit it. It’s not till she moves to Europe with her fiance and ends up in a country with an atheist majority that she rediscovers her faith, though I don’t think she ever really lost it.
I just wonder if my journey back to the church mirrors some of what my character is experiencing?
I don’t profess to be the next great Catholic writer, but I am writing about Catholic characters and Catholic culture. I hope in a realistic way. I’d like to think they’re human. They definitely sin, they fight, they love, they make mistakes. They’re flawed. None of them are perfect.
Just because it is a “Catholic” story, my story is not G-rated by any means. It’s not squeaky clean, nor is it scandalous. I think it’s just based in reality. It’s just every time I sit down to revise or reread particular scenes, it amazes me just how much Catholicism has influenced the story.
I don’t think that this is unique to my writing though. It’s obvious that even in my first novel, my Catholic upbringing has influenced my writing, which makes me think about how Catholicism influences other writers, artists, musicians. I am working my way to that post I’ve wanted to make…but not tonight.