Featured Writer: Mary Ralene Keane
On creating space to write and writing advice.
Welcome to Women Writing, a biweekly interview series about creative practices. In this week’s feature, Mary Ralene Keane describes some of the groups she belongs to. Do you belong to a writing group or a women’s circle? What is the value of those kinds of groups for you?
About the author…
Fascinated by ancient and women’s history, Mary Ralene Keane has written two books: Prayer in Motion (nonfiction, currently with an agent) and The Lost Archive (speculative fiction, currently with a developmental editor). In 2022, she left her tech career to walk 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago from France to Spain. The pilgrimage profoundly deepened her spiritual life and inspired her nonfiction book. Soon after, she began The Lost Archive, the first in a planned trilogy about a secret archive preserving 4,000 years of women’s writings—lost texts by Sappho, Hypatia, and Mary Magdalene, among others. The novel blends myth, mystery, an enmity that reaches back for thousands of years, ancient goddesses, archaeology, and fierce female guardians (plus lots of crows). Mary lives in Colorado with her husband Jeff, who enjoys a good stone circle or burial mound almost as much as she does.
On a writing routine …
Although I left a career in software development, a friend quickly recruited me to work part-time in cybersecurity for her nonprofit. My most creative window is between 4:00 and 7:00 PM—but after a day of client meetings, my brain was sluggish and my family wasn’t thrilled with late dinners.
I’m not a morning person, so the "write-at-dawn" approach doesn't work for me. Eventually, I blocked off 8:00 to 11:00 AM on my calendar as protected writing time. When I’m deep in a project, I aim for 3,000 words a day, which usually takes three to four hours. That means I often circle back to writing after dinner as well.
My routine isn’t rigid, but I’ve learned to fiercely guard the time I’ve carved out to write. It means my extended family is often annoyed with me since I miss events, but they are getting used to it.
On writing spaces …
I write, research, and edit in my office, which is my favorite space in the house. It’s lined with shelves of books and scattered with statues of the goddesses featured in my novel. I use multiple monitors—one for writing, another for research—which makes toggling between ancient texts and modern prose much easier. There’s usually a dark academia or instrumental writing playlist playing in the background. If I’m writing in the evening, I’ll light candles to shift the atmosphere into something more sacred and immersive. I’ve burned so many candles while writing The Lost Archive that my husband has started learning how to make them himself.
On writing communities …
I joined a writers’ group in early 2023, mostly made up of life coaches and spiritual teachers. At first, I wasn’t sure it was a good fit for someone writing about a pilgrimage—but these women taught me so much about websites, lead magnets, and marketing. One member later formed a Mastermind group, which I’m still part of today. Several of us from that original group also created a weekly writing circle that’s still going strong. I belong to a women’s circle that meets in person each week. We drum, call on our ancestors for guidance, and sometimes create SoulCollage® cards. The writing and Mastermind groups support me with the practical side of publishing. My women’s circle helps me stay spiritually grounded and creatively nourished—especially important since my book explores mysticism, ancient religions, art, and women living in community. Each circle offers a different kind of wisdom, and I’m grateful for both.
“I had to unlearn a lot. I instinctively knew I needed to get a messy first draft down before editing—but I kept hearing that I had to start with an outline. My soul just wanted to write.”
On challenges …
Since I don’t have children, making space for writing is a little easier—but it’s still a juggling act. I have a part-time job that sometimes turns full-time, a husband with his own expectations, three active writing and mastermind groups, and extended family living nearby. I live by my calendar and to-do list. I always say: if it’s not on the calendar, it’s not going to happen.
At first, my family was flummoxed by my writing schedule. But over time, they’ve adapted. My husband now makes dinner most nights, and my mom and sister check with me before making plans. I also let go of the idea of keeping a spotless house. I remind myself: I’d rather have an obituary that says I was an author than one that says I kept a clean house.
On the best writing advice …
Writing wasn’t new to me when I started Prayer in Motion. In software, I wrote specs, mea culpas to customers, and instruction manuals. I also hold a master’s in literature, and my thesis took a year to write. But I quickly learned that technical and academic writing and writing a book are very different.
I had to unlearn a lot. I instinctively knew I needed to get a messy first draft down before editing—but I kept hearing that I had to start with an outline. My soul just wanted to write.
Then I read Stephen King’s On Writing. It was a relief to learn that my approach—write first, shape later—was valid. His advice affirmed my process and gave me permission to trust it. Oddly enough, his point that bad writers can become good writers (but not necessarily great ones) freed me. I don’t need to be Tolstoy. If I delight a reader, that’s enough.
On the worst writing advice …
The worst writing advice I received was that men wouldn’t read fiction with a female lead. For years, that advice froze my writing. I wanted to write stories centered on women, but I worried there was no point—that no one would read them.
Eventually, I decided to write the book I wanted to write and let the chips fall where they may. Then I did a little research. Turns out, between 60% and 80% of books are purchased by women.
All those women I’ve seen reading on buses, planes, and subways? They were my readers in waiting.
On advice from personal experiences …
My advice: write.
Write whenever and wherever you can—on sticky notes, in the Notes app on your phone, on the backs of receipts if you have to. If you don’t know what to write, find a prompt online and give yourself three minutes. The more you write, the easier it becomes.
Look at the last hundred years: many authors started as journalists or lawyers. Stephen King, John Grisham, Ernest Hemingway—they all built their writing muscles long before they wrote novels.
You may not be a journalist or an attorney, but you probably write more than you think—emails, letters, social media posts. All of it counts. All of it is practice.
My nonfiction book, Prayer in Motion, was based on daily emails I sent to my family and friends while on the pilgrimage. Every bit of writing is a baby step toward the book only you can write.
My second piece of advice: read.
Read whenever and wherever you can. Put the Kindle app on your phone and sneak in a few pages while you’re in line at the grocery store or waiting at the doctor’s office. Listen to audiobooks in the car while chauffeuring your family—many are free from the library.
The more you read (and yes, listening absolutely counts), the better writer you’ll become. Reading expands your vocabulary, deepens your intuition for pacing and structure, and inspires your own voice.
If you need a little motivation, try setting a reading goal with the Goodreads yearly challenge. A little competition—especially with yourself—can go a long way.
On rekindling creativity …
It’s hard to predict what will spark creativity—but for me, it’s usually reading.
About three years ago, I stumbled across an article that mentioned Hypatia. I had no idea who she was, so I looked her up. As someone who worked in academia, I’ve never known a professor who didn’t write at least one book—so I wondered: Where are Hypatia’s books?
That question stowed away in my mind. A year later, I came across a New York Times piece that mentioned Enheduanna, a high priestess of ancient Mesopotamia. I looked her up too. And just like that, two threads wove together and the idea of an ancient archive of women’s writing was born.
Those moments of curiosity—fueled by reading—ignited the idea for a novel I hadn’t even known I was writing yet.
On a recent publication …
In April, I finished the third draft of a novel – tentatively titled The Lost Archive, about an ancient trove of women’s writing that has been hidden for 4,000 years. Women’s works have long been at risk—burned, suppressed, or never published—and this archive was created to protect them. The story follows two women who become entangled in a dangerous effort to safeguard the archive from a powerful enemy who has sought to destroy it since a Sumerian high priestess first hid it in the city of Ur.
Mary Ralene Keane’s online spaces …
If you’re interested in joining a group of inspiring writers from beginners to published authors, upgrade to paid and write with the Women Writing Circle. We meet for 90-minutes biweekly to write together.
Happy writing!
Thank you Liisa for your support!
Lots of good advice here, thanks! I bet what you keep learning in that Mastermind group will help when it comes to book marketing!