Writing, as has been discussed many times, is a solitary job; even if it’s only your hobby at the moment, you can feel very isolated.
When I was feeling a bit lost and uninspired in my professional life, I got myself a mentor. She was fantastic. Several years ahead of me in terms of job hierarchy, she knew what I needed to do and who I needed to be to make my next move. She really built up my confidence, helping me to see and feel that I am very good at my job and knowledgeable in my field. Within eight months of CV and application writing, practice interviews and general confidence boosting, I found myself in a new and better job. It was exactly what I was aiming for.
What do you want from mentoring?
It’s the same in a writing life. You need feedback and support on your work, whether that’s the quality of your writing, or how you approach the writing and book marketing process. You may think that other writers are too busy to help or you may not know where to start in building that kind of relationship.
There are a number of ways to get a mentor, but here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Virtual mentors – last week on the blog I talked about my favourite podcasts. These podcasters are some of my virtual mentors. I listen to their advice and inspiration every week and I always find something to take away. I may never meet them but they help me to learn and boost my skills. The same could be said for any writing craft books you read.
- Writing friends – friends who are involved in writing can be valuable assets when you’re working on projects or carrying out actions that they’ve already done. Accept any offers of advice and listen to it even if you decide not to carry it through. Don’t be embarrassed about asking for help. Friends will be more than happy to oblige. Yes, writers are in competition to some extent but not so much that they don’t help each other out.
- Official mentoring schemes – if you’re looking for a more structured experience, then look out for mentoring schemes. I found my mentor through a training organisation for charities (I was working for a charity at the time) but a quick search of Google will throw up a few ideas.
- Writing coaches – there are any number of writing coaches out there, and it’s best to research them thoroughly to make sure you’re going to get what you need. It’s another area where I’d recommend getting word-of-mouth recommendations from friends.
If you decide to go down the route of a mentoring scheme or coach, it’s important to sit down and think about exactly what you want to get out of it. That will help you determine what kind of mentoring you need. Are you looking for critique of your work? Are you hoping for someone to support you in moving forward in your writing life? What next steps do you want them to help you with? Once you’ve established that, you can begin looking around to see what’s out there. When you meet your mentor, you need to make sure you’re going to get everything you need from them, so it’s best to establish what your objectives are and what your timescale is. This will help to focus you and your mentor.
One word of caution – be particularly careful when parting with any money. I was very lucky that my mentoring was free as my mentor was volunteering her time. However, these services can be expensive and in these circumstances I can’t stress how important it is to make sure you’re going to get what you want. Also make sure that you research the people who will be put forward as mentors. Make sure they have the right background, that they have the same work ethic as you, and a good track history as a writer. See if you can download samples of their writing online. Make sure you feel comfortable with that person and don’t feel that you have to continue the relationship if it’s really not working.
If you get a mentoring relationship right, it can be a fantastic experience. It can help you move from A to B much more quickly and focus your mind on what you want to achieve and how to get there. And as detailed above, there are options to match anyone’s budget.
So, identify what you want to do and look around to see what or who is available to help.
Good luck!