I was asked yesterday if I would consider mentoring a high school student (senior) who is writing a novel. His English teacher feels he would benefit from having a mentor to give him some guidance as he continues working on the novel.
It's something I would enjoy doing, but I am not a novelist. Writing a full book is quite different from the shorter pieces I write--stories, creative nonfiction, memoir, inspirational, fiction for children, and poetry. I feel like he needs a mentor who has written a novel. So, I put some feelers out in my local community to see if any of the novelists would consider mentoring this young man.
Have you ever considered mentoring a beginning writer? Maybe you've never been asked, and maybe you never offered. If mentoring a writer is something you think you'd like to do, contact your local high school, Junior College, Community College or University to offer your service.
What does mentoring another writer involve?
- Meeting one on one with the writer to establish rapport.
- Offer honest feedback on the writer's work.
- Help set goals
- Offer emotional support
- Be open-minded
- Encourage the writer to be willing to grow
1. We all love to email or text because it's so easy, but to mentor another writer, it's best to meet one on one. Start out by meeting for coffee or coke in a public place. Get to know a little bit about the writer and let them know your background, as well. Establish the fact that you are hoping to be of help and offer some guidance.
2. After reading a portion, or all, of the writer's novel (or any other kind of writing), give honest feedback. I would suggest setting the stage first by telling him/her that any criticism you give is not meant to hurt but to help him/her grow as a writer. Explain that objective eyes like a mentor's see the writing differently than the person who wrote it in the first place.
3. Goal setting never hurts anyone. Help the writer create a list of his/her goals. Then go over them, one by one. Which are the most achievable; which are out of reach at this point?
4. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on now and then. Let the writer know that you'll be there to listen. (But not constantly!)
5. You will want the writer to be open-minded, but you need to be the same. If you disagree about a point, be a big enough person to listen to the writer's side, then offer your own. Remember, few things are all right or all wrong.
6. Encourage the writer to read books and articles on writing and to do some writing exercises to help him or her grow as a writer. Let them know that you are not going to be the one to solve all the problems, that they need to work at growing as a writer.
So, what's in it for you, the mentor? We can all think back to our early days of writing and how we floundered now and then. Wouldn't it give you some satisfaction to help someone going through the same problems? You'd be sharing your expertise, offering a service and spreading a bit of kindness.
One note of caution: Early on, set times to meet. Decide if you're willing to let the writer contact you via email, text or phone call in-between those meeting times. Set your rules at your first meeting. Most writers will adhere to what you set. You want to help new writers, but you don't want to give up too much of your own writing time.
Wow! There's a lot to digest here. Excellent information. I'm glad to see that you passed on the invitation because you're not a novelist. I can see where someone else might accept an invitation when it would be much better to find someone writing in the same genre. It would be laughable for me to mentor someone writing poetry.
ReplyDeleteAlso, glad you mentioned that you wouldn't want someone constantly contacting you. Me too.
And, good that you mentioned about meeting in a public place. The Kansas Authors Club Board recently voted for board members to avoid being alone with anyone under 18 years old when board members are "on duty," like at a convention. Better safe than sorry.