Religious writing begins as you religiously research every fact, double-check everything you know, and do not assume 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, curriculum, Bible stories, devotional materials, 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.

Need help planning your writing project? The Write Plan gets your research and writing off to a good start then helps you to keep the work on track as you proceed. To locate other suggestions for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, research the how-to articles on this website. If you need one-on-one assistance with your poetry, manuscript, or book proposal, a professional Critique will help.

The Bible and the Catechism provide the first source to go to 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 the Resources page.