By Elise LeSage
It’s tough out there for emerging writers. Between rejection letters, creative blocks, and the ever-shifting demands of the literary market, the hurdles we face can be downright dispiriting without a guiding hand.
That’s where writing mentors come in. Mentorships are 1-on-1 relationships between experienced writers and newbies looking for feedback, craft tips, and/or career advice. For those of us stuck in the weeds of our WIPs, mentors can be a real life-saver.
But how exactly does one find a writing mentor?
Here’s how I landed a mentee spot in AWP’s Writer to Writer program, and some tips I learned along the way:
- Keep an eye out for open applications.
As a member of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP), I didn’t have to look further than my email inbox to see an open call for mentee applications.
There are several literary organizations—including We Need Diverse Books, Latinx in Publishing, Paramount, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association—that have well-established (and often free-to-apply) mentorship programs.
Following literary organizations on social media is a great way to stay in the loop. Keep in mind that application materials can take a while to prepare—more on that later—so be sure to look early, keep an organized calendar, and give yourself plenty of cushion time before deadlines.
- Understand what kind of guidance you’re seeking—and be specific!
I was fortunate enough to get accepted into the first writing mentorship I applied to. This is due, in part, to the specificity I used when answering application questions.
Most programs will ask you to describe your current project(s), your writerly interests, and what you hope to learn from your mentor. Spend time with these questions, and be detailed in your responses.
Let’s take, for example, the question of goals. “I want to get my novel published” is a much less focused answer than “I want a mentor who can help me polish my query letter and recommend comp titles to study.” The first answer puts pressure on the mentor to fulfill lofty expectations; the second shows that you, the applicant, have already done research on the publishing landscape and are ready to take your mentee-status seriously.
When I first met with my mentor, Makena Metz, she said she was excited to explore the craft-related goals I laid out in response to the application question: “What guidance are you hoping to receive from your mentor?”
Makena and I both write speculative fiction. I wanted a mentor who was passionate about the horror and fantasy genres, someone who could teach me more about, as I put it: “creating magic systems, weaving world-building into plot, and writing body horror without ableism.”
Bear in mind that most mentorship programs only run for a couple months. Makena and I used our 12-week session together to explore genre-related lessons in craft. Some mentees may be more focused on querying and publishing, plotting a novel, or understanding their relationship to their work.
You can’t fit everything into a writing mentorship. Prioritize your goals before submitting your application. This won’t just help you stand out as a serious applicant, it’ll also set you up for a more fruitful program experience.
- Be polite—and prepared to clear your schedule.
Mentorships can be as much about networking as they are about writing. You want to make a good impression on your mentor—who, let’s remember, is being generous with their wisdom and time.
Being a courteous mentee starts at the application level. Many mentors will ask you to produce or revise a number of pages per meeting. Before applying, be sure you have the space in your life to meet these writing deadlines, and to read any materials your mentor recommends.
When the Writer to Writer application asked me what I expected of my mentor, I was clear, yet flexible: I hoped to find a writer I could video-chat with every week, though phone calls were fine too. I was open to reading recommendations and short-story prompts. I wanted someone who could review my work, but I was willing to adhere to whatever page-count limits they set.
If you do find a writing mentor, be sure to put forward your best, most professional self. Be prompt in responding to emails. Communicate deadlines and boundaries in advance. Most importantly, let your mentor know you’re grateful for them.
Bio: Elise LeSage is a writing professor and marketing specialist based in North Carolina, where she earned her fiction MFA from UNC Greensboro. She is an alumna of AWP’s Writer to Writer mentorship program and the Tin House Workshop.
