Heresy is Forbidden.

Ok, we aren't the Holy Office here, but some ideas are very obviously contrary to the Faith and we will not accept submissions that contain such errors. St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (II-II:11:1) defines heresy as "a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas". Therefore, things such as Feminism, Liberation Theology, Modernism, Darwinism, and other ideas very common in the Church today are not to be promoted in works submitted to the Collegium. Of course, these things may be present in works as a way of exposing their dangers and consequences.

Now, everyone makes mistakes and no one pretends to know their catechism perfectly. However, we expect writers to have a desire to write works with properly Catholic messages, themes, and ideas and to accept criticism accordingly. The main thing this rule seeks to avoid is members purposely trying to work anti-Catholic themes into their books.

Know what you're writing about.

If you're writing a story that takes place in deep space, it is very helpful to do some research into it. Learning about your subject matter not only gives you a passable understanding of it, but will also give you the ideas and vocabulary to make your story believable. You'll only damage your own reputation as an author if you write about impossibilities.

Don't borrow roleplaying game plots.

A lot of people interested in writing specifically science fiction and/or fantasy stories, enjoy role-playing games in their spare time which we take no issue with. Be aware that Collegium Scriptorum Catholicæ is for serious, aspiring writers, not for people who want to document their gaming sessions. Obviously, plagiarism is prohibited, too. People who lack the originality necessary to come up with their own plots and who rely on others to make a story interesting belong somewhere else.

On the other hand, we are all well aware of the Book of Ecclesiasticus and the phrase "nihil sub sole novum" or, there is "nothing new under the sun". With this in mind, we recognise that old ideas will be used again but we want our writers to cultivate the ability to make something new and interesting out of a plot that has been done before.

Is there a message in your story, or is it purely entertainment?

This is perhaps the most important question that fiction writers must face. There are certainly many commercially successful writers who fall into both camps, but we are not seeking commercial success here so much as getting good Catholic reading into the world. The presence of a message is what differentiates most fiction from being considered "good literature" and the presence of a Catholic message is what will differentiate Collegium product from everything else out there.

The message doesn't have to be profound or delivered in a heavy-handed way. However, it should definitely be Catholic, otherwise there isn't much point in working with this specific group.

A good writer writes because he has something to say about life, and the Collegium Scriptorum Catholicæ encourages amateur writers to present Catholic messages. They can be as simple as "God exists," but be aware that it is there. The skill with which you develop and communicate your message is what separates the mediocre writer from the artist.

Do you involve the readers' emotionally?

A story cannot succeed if it doesn't involve the reader. He must be made to care about the protagonist(s) and feel for them in their plight. A successful story isn't one where the good guys beat the bad guys, but a story that makes the reader feel intense emotion. How that is accomplished is exactly what we are pursuing with the creation of the Collegium.

Story/Article Length.

We accept any length of work from a 500-word "short-short story" up to novels thousands of pages long. All that we ask is that if you are posting anything longer than 10,000 words that you separate it into chapters and post each chapter in a separate post in the novel drafts section. Everything else should go in the article and short story drafts section.