Tag: writing

Writing

What Does Winning a Writing Contest & Love Have in Common?

Mona Alvarado Frazier

A three-way tie the email read. “The first time in the contest history.” The news startled me in a good way. I really won a publishing contract? My Young Adult novel, STRONG WOMEN GROW HERE, will be published in Spring 2023?

After the exhale, I read the whole message. Usually, there are two winners: One for the Adult category and the other for YA. This year there are two YA winners, and I’m one of them.

When the shock wore off, I thought about how winning a writing/publishing contest and love share commonalities in feelings:

1- You’re giddy: like OMG, is this happening? Oh yes, I’ve waited so long for this! (Would you believe 2014)? Giggle, giggle. Stars in the eyes. Happy dance and hugs all around.

2-You have uh-oh moments: There’s hesitation one second and the desire to leap the next. Can I do this? Will this last? What if I fail? What if I succeed?

3-You want to share the news: There’s posting to your social media, calls from friends, and celebrations. You want to share with strangers but don’t because you don’t want to be that annoying person. But inside, you’re smiling.

4-You want a commitment: In love, there are the actions you seek. In writing, it’s the publishing contract. To what, exactly, am I committing? There’s a give and take in both areas and a whole lot of faith.

5-You’re so vulnerable: Will readers (my lover) care? Will people in my past (or lover) think the novel is about them? Will readers buy the book?

I’m sure there will be more emotions as I travel through this new experience. But for now, I’ll revel in the positive vibes and ready myself for the journey.

Here are a few specifics about the novel:

The blurb:

Juana, a naïve sixteen-year-old immigrant, flees her abusive American ‘husband’ and is arrested for his death. Convicted of manslaughter, she is incarcerated and must navigate the prison culture of staff rules, gangs, and violence. When a slight on a gang leader results in an attack, Juana cultivates a garden in the prison backyard to avoid others, but difficulties arise.

When her mother-in-law files for custody of Juana’s baby, she has to fight to uncover additional evidence of her alleged crime and appeal her case or risk losing her child.

The Twitter Pitch:

ALLEGEDLY x LOCKDOWN

When 16 yo Mexican immigrant & abuse survivor is imprisoned for the suspected murder of her “husband,” she must prove her innocence while navigating prison, gangs, and depression or face deportation and be forced to surrender her child.

The Storyboard (On Pinterest): STRONG WOMEN GROW HERE

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them below.

Creative Writing, Writing, Writing Inspiration, Writing Process

A Writer’s Life

Mona Alvarado Frazier

So, that’s me up there in the center circle!

For years, I’ve written flash fiction, short stories and novels. Sometimes they are published and most times they are not.

But, I celebrate the wins along the writing way. I’m a finalist for SheWrites Press and SparkPress fourth annual contest. There will be two winners: One for the Adult category and one for the Young Adult (YA) category. My submission is for the YA. We’ll find out soon and I’ll post something either way.

Any writer who seeks publication knows how difficult the road to birthing an article, essay, short story or a novel can be. But like the ant going uphill, we persevere.

After twelve years of writing, shelving, and revising stories plus collecting books on the craft of writing, and participating in critique groups and writing organizations, I ask myself:

Just why do I write?

Many of my stories have an element of my life experiences and talking about them on paper is like a release. I have a need to write, to find out and process what I’m feeling or thinking. Sharing struggles is my means of supporting others by letting the reader know that they are not alone. Others have faced similar challenges and made it out alive.

I’m usually thinking and writing about what girls and women go through. Events from my past bounce around in my head and want out. More than a few times, I have a voice talking to me: “Remember when … ?” And then I remember and process the incident on paper.

The act of sharing my writing is scary sometimes. I wonder will I be judged, will someone think I’m writing about them, will someone get angry? But most of the time, I don’t care, because the act of writing is a release that I need. And for an introvert like me this sharing is a relationship with one reader.

Writing is an intimate act. It’s risky. But there’s something about the flow on words onto a white slate that invigorates a writer. Each page is a new creation.

I like the way I get lost in writing, how I go into a deep hole or a far away tangent and then reread my stuff and laugh. Or cry. Or erase.

Mostly, I write to highlight the experiences of love, loss, and other challenges of women and girls. I write to amplify their strength and resilience in the face of obstacles and dire circumstances.

I know I’ll keep writing whether I publish a novel or not. Because that is not the end game, but I can’t lie, it sure would be nice!

“It is the deepest desire of every writer, the one we never admit or even dare to speak of: to write a book we can leave as a legacy. . . . If you do it right, and if they publish it, you may actually leave something behind that can last forever.”

Alice Hoffman