Mentoring for creative writers
Over the last year I've been co-authoring a book with Sara Maitland (pictured) - seemingly the world's first book on mentoring for creative writers. It was commissioned through New Writing North, who stitched together a number of organizations to provide the necessary funding, and will be launched in 2007. A slimmer volume will also appear through the organization literature training.
I'll post more on this when the time comes. To write the book we interviewed a lot of the leading practitioners in the field - both the mentored, the mentors, and program officers. Among those I spoke with was Rebecca Swift at the Literary consultancy. They have now launched their own mentoring program - a commercial venture, but a number of Arts Council England (Ace) awards I believe are available at the beginning.
Mentoring for writers is becoming the new 'buzz' - I do see it as being very valuable. One way I would love to see it spread is by writers going out there and finding new voices, ones that have previously been distanced from the in-world of writing and publishing.
The cheery thing about the TLC venture is that it is to be run by Sara Maitland, who will assemble and direct the team of writers willing to act as mentors. She did a superb job directing a similar team for the Lancaster University / Crossing Borders scheme over the last few years, so this does promise to be a worthwhile venture. It's also distance learning, which makes it accessible for writers everywhere.
posted by Martin at 12:24 PM
1 Comments:
I have always wanted to be a writer or try to write a novel. My mother has "books" saved from when I first learn to write a full sentence. But she told me that they were never finished. Which back then it was because I had a problem with finishing what I started. More recently, I realized my burning desire to get this really overpowering idea on paper and out there for others to read and learn from my experiences and stories. But I become overwhelmed and don't know how to approach this tasks. I honestly know one reason is my own fear and the other is that I wish there was some one to help me with this.
I remember in high school, my favorite teachers were always my English teachers that encouraged my ability by helping, or listening and even discussing writing topics or novels that they were or did read with me. It was great to have that mentor there when I needed help and feel safe to discuss openly about what I was creating. It was especially awesome to have some one who could properly use constructive criticism with out making you wish you never even bothered to embarrass yourself by thinking you can do something special.
Where could I find some one like that? And the biggest question on all new beginner writers mind: can this person be trusted? Or will I end up in a "Life Time Channel" movie, fighting for my innocence and trying to prove that I was the original writer? Because some of those movies end up badly, like some one getting killed! To be honest my life is a never ending repeat of most the movies on that channel and I am trying to shy away from a potential premiere of a real life, “those kind of things will never happen to me (or my personal favorite) “ Oh No that doesn’t happen in my home town” movie. So I would love to get your opinion on this and some advice, if you could be ever so nice to do so. It would be forever appreciated!! And yes!! What every wanna be says when they are starting, when or if I do write a book and it does get published I will promise to sing your praise in the acknowledgment section all the way to the back cover. I mean what I say.
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