Category: Writers

Authors, Barbara Kingsolver, Bloggers, Books, Jennifer Chow, Lisa See, Louise Erdrich, Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros, Writers, Writing, Writing Process

Writers Tell All

Mona Alvarado Frazier
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Jennifer Chow made me do it. Her chirpy words of “fun challenge” has me participating in my first ever Blog Hop called “Writers Tell All.” 

A writer often works in isolation, for long periods of time, before any finished work is produced. It’s rare to have the opportunity to share thoughts with other bloggers/writers, so when Jennifer ‘tagged’ me I decided I’d share my thoughts.

Because we often work in seclusion we writers need to know if crying, throwing paper, groping for a pen in the middle of the night, talking to ourselves or passing up a party to write is normal. 

Totally.

So let the sharing begin. 

Question 1: What are you working on? 

  1. Revision 8 of a query letter for my second manuscript: Winter Without Flowers, a contemporary adult fiction. 
  2. Revising a synopsis for WWF.
  3. Sending out 10 queries per month for my first manuscript: Strong Women Grow Here, YA fiction about a 17 year old wife and mother in prison.
  4. Getting ready for the AROHO Retreat in Ghost Ranch, Abiqui, New Mexico next month. I’m so jazzed to be included in a group of such accomplished writers. I received a fellowship to attend. 
Question 2: How does your writing process work? 

My isolation space
  1. Six days a week I put my butt in the chair (see photo above) with a mug of coffee.  
  2. When I feel stalled I look at the inspirational messages, photos, or words from friends on my bulletin board behind my laptop. (It’s an organized mess). Or I take the dog for a walk to clear my mind.
  3. I have a writing goal for the morning: type x amount of words, revise x amount of pages, work on a character sketch. 
  4. I’m a pantser who has vowed to do an outline for my next project. This may reduce the amount of revisions. 
  5. When I’m thinking of an emotional scene I’ll write longhand. There is something about the heart/pen connection. 
  6. Twice a month I meet with my critique group, Women Who Write (WoWW), and we go over five pages of our project after potluck. I’ve been with them since I started writing in 2008. 
Question 3: Who are your favorite writers? 
  1. Sandra Cisneros– her poetry and prose has sparked my heart for many years.
  2. Lisa See– her historical fiction is so good that I feel I’m wandering the back streets of post-WWII China or Chinatown in 1940’s Los Angeles.
  3. Barbara Kingsolver– I was hooked when I read The Bean Tree in 1988. Her character, Turtle, has stayed with me ever since.  
  4. Louise Erdrich-She is a master of evocative prose. 
  5. Maya Angelou– I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was required reading in one of my college classes. “To be left alone on the tightrope of youthful unknowing is to experience the excruciating beauty of full freedom and the threat of eternal indecision.”  I still have my book!

Now it’s my turn to tag three writers. 

Please visit their blogs and see what they’re up to and willing to share when Writers Tell All. 















Pearl S. Buck quote, Strong Women, Wisdom, Writers, writing retreats

11 Qualities of Strong Women who are Writers

Mona Alvarado Frazier

Four times a year the biweekly writing group I belong to takes a writer’s retreat. Our group of seven ranges in age from 39 to 64 years. Some have young kids, others older, like my YA’s. 

We write in different genres and have a wide gamut of ‘real’ jobs, but through these retreats we have bonded together like writing sisters, or writing comadres, (kind of like the word comrade, but much closer).

Sometimes the retreats are for one day and other times it’s for a week. It sounds like a lot of time away for women who are mothers and spouses, but taking time out for writing and ourselves is important to all of us. 

After this weekend I thought about what transpired and realized that women writers often need the relational support of other women writers. We spend so much time in isolation, during early morning hours or late nights squeezing in as much writing as possible between kids, spouses, and family life that we need time with other women who understand us.

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This past weekend we spent our winter retreat in the Santa Ynez Valley, in a working vineyard, surrounded by oak trees, snowcapped mountains, and undulating rows of grape vines. Horses, mud hens and jackrabbits enjoyed the surrounding land and the huge pond, with its requisite rope hanging from a tree limb, outside our place. 

Through connections we enjoyed this retreat free of charge. That’s how we find our locations, someone knows someone, who knows someone and we usually end up with a super reduced rate or no charge almost all the time. 

On the first night, our ritual is to each light a candle and verbalize our intention for the retreat. Sometimes it’s simply to rest and recharge, other times it’s to draft a few poems, or to work on a manuscript. And there is always chocolate, wine, and cheese. Yes, we treat ourselves well. 

Many times, when we are having meals or sharing our work, we get emotional and let it all out. There are many listening ears, shoulders to cry on, many hugs to give and receive. It’s a safe place to be.


From our retreat I learned that strong women writers have the following qualities. They :

  1. Ask for the wisdom of others
  2. Nurture themselves
  3. Know when to give a hug and not judge
  4. Encourage, validate and edify others
  5. Are honest with their feelings without tearing down someone else
  6. Are women who inspire 
  7. Respect themselves
  8. Celebrate others success
  9. Demonstrate grace (the exercise of love, kindness, mercy)
  10. Teach you something
  11. Keep on writing, keep persevering

All writers need a retreat, heck, all women need retreats of some sort just to recharge, so they can keep going forward with life and responsibilities. 

How can you take a retreat for yourself this year?