Writing

A Life Update from The Simple Catholic— Dreams Realized

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The cool thing about pursuing your dream is the amazing doors it opens up.

This year I signed at least six clients (two renewed contracts so far) and met with lots of inspiring small Catholic business owners.

I’ve been featured on a couple podcasts, interviewed for a diocesan newspaper, and even had an article published (as a cover story) for one of my dream publications.

Freelancing has given me and my family more financial and scheduling freedom which has led to less stress.

I’m even trending towards being able to cut back hours at my main job by the end of the year.

Dreams Take Time to Take Root

The seeds were planted back in 2015. Well, maybe even further back in 1996 when I wrote silly stories about my orange stuffed animal named Snap on my mom’s typewriter.

Grateful for all those in my network (Catholic and writing) who have helped encourage, support, or teacher me valuable insights about my industry.

Special shout-out to my wife, parents, and siblings who have encouraged me along the way.

And finally, most importantly, thankful for God for giving me the opportunities and strength to carry on and craft my writing skills.

What’s your dream?

Start traveling towards it today. 🙏 🙂

Thank you for sharing!

3 Tips to Write with Ease

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Editor’s Note: Post originally publiched on February 20, 2019.

British author J.K. Rowling declared, “The wonderful thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting. The terrifying thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting.” Writers since the beginning of time faced the double-edged sword the joy of creation from words and the fear of writer’s block. Some days it seems that words cannot be typed quick enough as phrases, sentences, and paragraphs already exist in your mind. Other times crafting a mere word or phrase is as painful as getting a tooth pulled at the dentist!

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Whether you currently are in a state of inspiration or at a standstill in your writing here are three tips to enhance the ability to write more naturally and effortlessly.

Read, Read, Read— Feed Your Mind

The great American author William Faulkner advocated for the importance of reading, “Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out.”

I’ve found that reading a lot leads to effortless writing, without any strain. The mind needs a steady stream of information, like the body needs a balanced meal. Writing different genres is crucial for growth. I read comics for creativity and Catherine of Siena’s dialogues for spirituality and intellect.

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Reflection 

Another tip to develop more natural and effortless writing is to make time to reflection on the stuff you read. The Greek philosopher Aristotle purported, ““Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Without proper time to examine yourself and the ideas that you read about it gets difficult to organize them into coherent thoughts. Among the best times for reflecting on a post that I want to write about occurs in the car. Using the minutes between drives to work, the grocery store, or other errands I ponder how I want to organize the essential points of an article that I am working on. Even a few minutes of reflection helps me write at a quicker rate and with less resistance!

Passion and Purpose

After feeding your mind with plenty of information and reflecting on the material that you want to write about the third tip I use to make my writing more effortless includes a passion and clear objective. Why are you writing? Is it for an increased amount of exposure and social media fame or is your reason deeper?

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I created The Simple Catholic blog to find joy in life on my journey to Heaven. Flannery O’Connor said, “I write to discover what I know.” Through faith, I know that freedom from sin and death comes from following the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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My secondary goal is to help people find joy in this life and the next. Jesus said loving God and neighbors are the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40). Prioritizing God, others, and myself brings joy to all aspects of life. This joy is meant to be shared with readers and passed on to friends and family.

Summing Up

Filling my mind with a variety of ideas, taking time to analyze that information, and remembering my original mission for becoming a writing has all contributed to helping me write more naturally, more honestly, and more effortlessly. I hope that these tips help you in your writing endeavors as well. Please feel free to share these tips to your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

“All for one and one for all” —Alexander Dumas

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” —Anne Frank

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you for sharing!

Unleash Your Unique Writing Voice: Engage and Stand Out!

/ chicoinematt

💡 When you find your voice in writing you will grab the attention of those you want to work with…

and repel those you don’t want to.

Bonus benefit for finding your voice in copywriting and crafting your message for your niche audience??

You sound like less of a generic-humorless robot.

Making is that much tougher for you to lose work due to #aicontent.

Here’s three simple things I did to form my unique voice for The Simple Catholic blog and my brand:

1️⃣ Write the way you talk

I love Catholic theology, comics, and The Office so it became natural for me to combine those ideas together in my writing and social media posts.

This combination inspired me to create several memes that conveyed information about the Catholic faith but with a humor-angle.

2️⃣ Pivot to your expertise

While I have a Masters Degree in Catholic theology, I have learned an immeasurable amount from my decade-plus years of experience as a Catholic dad.

My four kids (and even my unborn children who died via miscarriage) taught me so much— and they are awesome content-generators!

(on numerous occasions I have posted about my kids’ shenanigans at Mass including an incident on Palm Sunday about my three-year-old being concerned Peter chopping off Malchus’ ear).

I rebranded my blog sometime in 2017 from “Prayer, Recreation, and Organization” to “The Simple Catholic”.

I did this because I wanted to communicate the truths of our faith in a simple manner that allowed people to be more open to wanting to learn more.

Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

3️⃣ You become what you consume

The people you spend time with, the books you read and the activities you do on a frequent basis shape your habits.

This isn’t any earth-shattering news.

I have formed my unique voice for my brand through the time I spend learning from saints like Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, Philip Neri, and Louis de Montfort.

Some of the most unique and inspired content have come during Mass.

After the liturgy ends, I wrote notes to myself on my phone to remind myself to develop the thought-seeds further.

Plus, I have spent more time reading (and replying) to comments from my followers and I have discovered they enjoy my funny posts that teach the faith the most…so I have doubled down on Catholic-informative-funny posts.

Let’s Recap

When I have started away from this strategy my voice falters and it is easier to fall prey to writing generic content (i.e. the stuff that gets easy likes on LinkedIn).

✍️ Write how you talk

💪 Lean into your strengths

🧠 Be cognizant of what you consume

Follow this basic three-step path to find your voice and create unboring and vibrant content that resonates with your audience.

How do you shape your unique voice that captures your audience’s attention?

Share in the comments section ⤵️

Thank you for sharing!

Boost Your Catholic Business: Professional Writing Services

/ chicoinematt
Small Catholic business in need of content creation help

Dear beloved small Catholic business owners and solopreneurs,

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. We know that time is a precious resource that’s not renewable, and oftentimes it can feel like there’s only 24 minutes in a day instead of 24 hours. As you juggle the many responsibilities of running a small business, it can be challenging to find the time and energy to create compelling content that resonates with your audience.

But fear not, dear brothers and sisters, for help is at hand. As a professional writer and content creator, I offer my services to you with joy and enthusiasm. I understand the importance of creating high-quality blog posts and content that engages and inspires your customers. With my help, you can free up more time to focus on other important aspects of your business while still creating content that delights and informs your audience.

Whether you need help with blog writing, social media posts, email newsletters, or any other type of content creation, I am here to serve you. My services are specifically designed for small Catholic businesses like yours, and I am committed to helping you achieve your business goals with creativity and excellence.

So, dear friends, let us work together to build up the kingdom of God through our small businesses. May our content be a beacon of light in the darkness, a source of hope and inspiration for all who encounter it. And may the Holy Spirit guide us in all that we do, now and forevermore.

Email me today (at chicoine.matt@live.com) for engaging Catholic content!

Sincerely,

Your fellow servant in Christ

Thank you for sharing!

From Dream to Reality: My First Published Article in Saint Anthony Messenger

/ chicoinematt

It’s official! Received my three copies of the May 2023 Saint Anthony Messenger yesterday.

I remember distinctly as a 7-year-old I wanted to be a dad and a writer when I grew up. This article is a realization of that dream.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me during this process: my wife, my mom & dad, the editor of Franciscan Media, and to you my readers and supporters of The Simple Catholic blog!! You kept me going during the days and weeks I struggled with depression.

Finally, I’m grateful for God and all the graces He has granted me and opportunities to develop my writing over the years. 🙂

P.S. I’m not crying my eyes are leaking tears of joy.

P.P.S. Here’s a link to the article if you’re interested in reading:

Parenting Kids with Autism 
Thank you for sharing!

The Melting of the Cold: A Poem

/ chicoinematt / 1 Comment

At transition times of the year or in changes of temperatures (from warm to cold or vice versa) I get inspired by the beauty in the changes of nature.

Here’s a poem I wrote born out of my gratitude for the melting of the snow.

The Melting of the Cold

Drip. Drip. Dripping.

The sound of water flowing down the hill quickens.

Hints of spring; and soon the arrival of chickens’

Eggs being collected. Growth and sprouts will soon be about.

Sun beaming bright. This is great cause to smile and shout.

The cold is melting. Melting slow but steady.

After blizzards, ice, and dark days we’re finally ready

Ready for the return of a season of bud, bug, and bicycle.

The melting of the cold is the beginning of the arrival of
this new season cycle.

More Poems by The Simple Catholic

Some Autumnal Afterthoughts: A Poem

Unexpected Joys on a Summer Morn
A Snow Story to Keep Spirits High
Thank you for sharing!

5 Actionable and Simple Tips to Help Parents Write (Right) Now

/ chicoinematt

“But I don’t have anything interesting to say.” “I am tired exhausted from work and household duties.” “I just cannot take time away from my family.” “This is going to add an additional burden on my spouse.” “Honey, there is literally no time. We both have full time and three kids to take of when we get home.”

These were some of the excuses I used in the past whenever I pondered a pursuit in a career in freelance writing. We have a finite amount of time each day. 24 hours. Doctors tell us at least a 1/3 of that should be used for sleeping. That leaves only16 hours a day at our disposal. Add in a full-time job, children and all the various school activities they are in, and meal time. Our time starts disappearing faster than a dozen eggs on sale at the store.

How to write and raise a family?

This article is specifically geared toward parents who want to develop a career in writing. As a father to four children ages 11,9,6, and 4, I completely understand the scheduling struggle. It might be more accurate to call it appointment acrobatics! I am also the husband of an elementary school teacher. Anyone who is married to or has a family member or friend who is an educator knows that profession involves A LOT of time—investing in lesson planning, parent meetings, professional development sessions, and staying up to do on current curriculum. Additionally, two of children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Autism is a social communication disorder. We have weekly adaptive aquatics lessons for our six year old. We have also had to invest an incalculable amount of hours into research, therapy, and home reinforcement over the past several years.

Bottom line is I understand that life presents you many challenges that take up the vast majority of the day. It is not impossible, nor even merely improbable to start writing and creating content.

Martin Luther King Jr. once declared, “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t walk run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then , but by all means keep moving.” While you may not be able to soar now you can take action. Move towards your goal of being a writer! The tips in this article come from my experience and have proven to have worked for my impossibly busy schedule. Let’s now jump into these five actionable and simple strategies to help you write now!

Be prepared to sacrifice

“Wait! I thought you said these were actionable and simple steps. Right away you are asking me to give up something,” you might be thinking now. As much as this fact hurts to hear, it is necessary to learn. To love something [and someone] it involves a sacrifice. Foregoing the latest Netflix original series, shopping spree, or having to say “no” to one of your kids activities will be painful. I struggled mightily with watching just one episode of the latest series so I could have time to write daily.

Since my decision to leave my full-time job to pursue writing as a career, I have made several sacrifices: our family gave up eating fast food, limited television time, and I will be working a night job to help the bills until I can write full-time from home. This decision was not made lightly. Writing proved to be healing and therapeutic as reached a low point in my life in 2015. If after some deliberation you realize your gift to the world is to write, realize this tremendous joy does come with a price—sacrifice. But it is well worth it.

Narrow and Nest into a Niche

A second tactic to help you write now is to find a niche topic to write about. Ask yourself the following questions: What topic can I talk about for 30 minutes without needing any preparation? What subjects am I already an expert on? Select your writing niche based on either or both of the answers to those questions. My expertise is Catholic theology. I have also developed an interest in writing about anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. Finding a niche does not always happen overnight. Yet, you can still start the process of discovering your writing niche now!

Find Five Minutes

Finding time in the day to write can be challenging. I get it! Parenting is incredibly tough. Kids require physical, emotional, intellectual supports to grow and thrive. We all want our kids to grow up into mature and productive citizens. Some days all hell breaks loose. The children turn into frenzied creatures—especially during a full moon! Other times, the children coordinate an executed staggered schedule attack to ensure that you and your spouse never get more than 2 hours consecutive that night.

Don’t let that deter you from your dream to write. Find just 5 minutes per day to write. Schedule it at the exact same time and place in your house to journal or type out your thoughts. If your life is a bit more hectic, allow for flexibility of that 5 minutes to occur at various times. Always make sure you write for an absolute minimum of 5 minutes. When your routine is set, up your time to 10, 15, 30 minutes, or to 1 hour. Consistency is absolutely necessary for traction towards your goal. Move towards your goal of writing a bit each every.

Consume Content Daily

Another simple strategy to develop your writing skills is to consume content from your writing niche daily. Doctors prescribe patients to eat a and balanced nutrition. That same is true for content creators. Creativity does not occur in isolation. Read books, listen to podcasts, watch videos, connect with experts in your desired field of study on LinkedIn.

Use those short drives dropping the kids off at school, running errands, or returning home to listen to podcast episodes or an audio book about your niche subject. During those rare occasions when the kids actually nap or go to bed on time read a book for a few minutes. I have been starting to take a book to the park—even reading just a page or two daily will help build your knowledge in the long run!

Repeat—Key is Consistency

If you made it to this point of the article without interruption I want to congratulate you! Thank you for taking take out of your busy schedule to further your desire to write. My final strategy to help you write right now is simple—repeat strategies 1-4 daily! If you are running low on energy or motivation please message me on LinkedIn or email me at chicoine.matt@live.com. I would love to help you through any scheduling obstacles and mental roadblocks.

Related Links

The Origin Story of The Simple Catholic

3 Ways to Stay Relevant as a Catholic Blogger

Thank you for sharing!