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New Year intentions, writer preparation, Writers Preparing, Writing, writing space

10 Ways for Writers to Prepare for 2012

Mona Alvarado Frazier

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Ben Franklin

Maybe an hour is a stretch, but I do believe there is a lot of truth in that quote, especially when it comes to daily writing. Over the last year I found many opportunities to procrastinate from my writing schedule. Some days my lack of preparation added to this and caused me wasted time, energy, more gas, money, and late assignments.

This year I used the time after Christmas to think about my writing life for the coming year. I read about setting an intention for the new year from Rose Molinary over at Mamiverse. After I went through her simple exercise I came up with my intention for the year: Create. There are several words to add to this intention, like “Create joy…space…comfort…revisions…manuscripts…query letters…published novels.”

After a few minutes of intentional dreaming I looked at my work space and decided I needed to make a few changes. I want to bring more comfort for daily writing sessions and at the same time stop the time wasters which delay my writing. I found the following changes to my writing space useful.  (The laptop, computer, or netbook is a given as is a computer desk).

1-Notebooks, pens, large post-its, index cards, pushpins: A 100 page or more spiral bound notebook for each manuscript you’re writing. Buy three or four at a time. Make sure it lays flat. If there are pocket holders inside all the better for notes or torn out pages from somewhere else. Use one notebook for ideas and writing tips or resources, one to take to writing classes or critique groups, one to journal scenes, and one to use when you begin to revise your manuscript.
Use colorful, large sticky notes (3×3) to remind you of items you don’t want to forget during that writing session. Stick notes on your laptop, printer, desk, binder, notebook or forehead. Use index cards to write down each scene, number them and kept them bundled with a rubber band. Pushpins are useful to stick photos, inspirational quotes, and index cards on your writing wall or bulletin board.
2-Wireless mouse and/or keyboard: get comfortable, you are in it for the long haul. Many of these are now on sale.
3- The Chicago Manual of Style, and/or Strunk and White. Add a dictionary and Thesaurus if you find it faster than searching for a term online.
4-A sturdy comfortable chair. Spring for an ergonomic chair but if not use a comfortable chair with a pillow for your back if there is no lumbar support. If you have a wireless keyboard you can switch to a recliner if you want. For an indepth article on how to ergonomically optimize your workplace read this article by Lifehacker. I didn’t know the pinch in my shoulders came from having my laptop below the correct eye level.
5-Printer paper: Two reams minimum. One quality type for printed manuscript to agent and one economy one for drafts and to print your stuff for critiques or writing class. If you find a sale on paper buy more. 
6-Ink Cartridges: Use a printer like HP or Epson that takes refillable ink. This has been a big expensive for me this year and I’m now using another printer. Walgreen’s and Costco have frequent specials throughout the year for refills at $8-12 dollars. That beats non refillable ink cartridges of $26-30 each. If you’re printing out pages for critique groups and drafts you’ll save a bundle when you have refillable ink cartridges.
7-Bulletin board and/or white board. These are available at craft stores and most any large department store. Those fabric covered boards work just as well. You just need a place to pin up inspirational quotes, writing projects, favorite motivational photos, index cards, etc.
8-Three ring binders: At least 2 inch ring size. You need something to hold your printed pages during your revisions.
9-Color folders: use them to hold your printed drafts, writing resources, critiques, edited material, notes, the receipts you’ve spent on your writing. Label them and keep these near your writing area. Use them at the end of the day to file research notes or reminders.
10-Large coffee/tea mug and coaster. If you’re a heavy drinker, look for a carafe to keep your beverage hot or cold. It can hold whatever beverage suits you. No more extra trips to the kitchen for refills.  Liquor is not recommended or you may fall off your ergonomically correct chair. 
Maybe you have some favorite preparation items to share? I need all the help I can get. 
Now get thee to the Dollar Store or Staples and get yourself prepared for a great year of creating and writing.  
Freezing tamales, Latino Family Traditions, Mexican Cooking, Mexican Holiday foods, Tamales

Warning: Tamale Overload

Mona Alvarado Frazier

Have you ever been so over-saturated with a food that you can no longer bear to look at it anymore? That’s the way I feel about tamales, today. I had the same feeling after working the graveyard shift sorting strawberries at a packing house. The plump red fragrant berries I sorted through on the conveyor belt became cold lumps of tan coal by six o’clock the following morning. My fingers were a wrinkled stained berry mess. I didn’t eat strawberries for a couple of years.

My family, from my six year old niece to my 80 plus year old mom, sat at the kitchen table for six hours, spreading masa on the corn husks, stuffing pasilla chile sauce and pork into dozens of ojas. We did the same for the roast chicken and tomatillo sauce, and the strips of California green chile and Pepper Jack shredded cheese. These were stacked in the steamer pots, either basketweave style or standing up, and cooked for two or three hours, depending on whether they went into my sister’s ‘good’ steamer or the traditional pot. By the end of the night I had to take ibuprofen for the back pain.

We used 30 pounds of masa. When you realize that one pound makes one dozen tamales, give or take a couple, that translates to 30 dozens of tamales, or

TAMALES !!

One the second day I divide and bag the tamales for everyone who participated in making them the day before. We usually take some to people we visit or who visit us on the day after Christmas. On this fourth day after tamale making, it’s hard to even look at one without wrinkling my nose. The kids want soy chorizo and tofu, or eggs and chorizo, cereal, toaster waffles, anything but tamales. This morning I looked into the refrigerator for the half and half. We still had one cookie sheet stacked with tamales. I couldn’t look at them any longer. If we have a fifth day, I’ll surely retch when I open the refrigerator.

Lucky for me I stocked up on aluminum foil and had freezer bags. I wrapped those puppies up, stuffed them in the bags and labeled them “Tamales,” with a blue Sharpie. I don’t care if I don’t see another tamale for six months, but it’s good to know that when my overload wears off I’ll have some ready to pop in the oven.