(The
names of the authors in this article have been changed to
protect their privacy.)
First of
all, you have to decide what you need.
Look at
your writing critically, decide where you are deficient,
define the areas where you need to sharpen your skills,
and outline the specific writing goals you want to
achieve.
And by
specific I mean very specific.
Is your
problem grammar, characters or plotting? Sentence
construction or style? Maybe it's motivation or just
finding the time. A good mentor can help in all these
areas - as long as they know what you need.
When you
start seeking out mentors, ask questions. Not only is it
important you know what you want, it's important you're
confident the mentor can and will deliver for you.
When I take
on a new author, I ask lots of questions. First, I want
to be sure I can help. Second, I want to build a close
connection with the author. Third, I want to be sure the
writer knows what to expect - at every stage. Here's a
few examples
Damian came
to me with his second novel. He'd lost his way and wasn't
sure the book really worked. I agreed to help him because
he was enthusiastic and wanted to work hard to learn more
about his craft.
I read his
book and recognised the problem - it wasn't the story so
much as his style, which lacked some immediacy. We worked
step by step on his scene construction - deepening the
perspective of the protagonist so that he became
compelling and believable. After that, the story began to
work better and Damian was much happier with his work!
Bill was
different. He knew he had a great book. It was his sixth
- to all intents and purposes he was a professional. He
just wanted his novel proofed and edited for sense.
As I began
sending him over corrected chapters, Bill started asking
questions about improving his writing style. I was more
than happy to offer advice.
A few
emails later, Bill understood and appreciated my writing
philosophy much better and went away to re-write huge
sections of his book, thereby improving the work even
more. Bill later told me his agent thought it was his
best book so far.
Julia was
different again. She'd written only the outline for her
novel and saw 'the writing' as a huge task she might not
complete without help. We spent a lot of time preparing
before she started. I showed her how to prioritise her
life, organise her time and make room for her writing.
Three
months and four drafts later Julia submitted her romance
to a publisher.
It's about
flexibility - from both the student and the mentor. There
must also be communication - usually lots of it - and a
certain rapport and trust.
Because
just as all authors are different, so are mentors.
Not all of
them will be best selling authors or have a string of
writing credits. Some are just good at what they do.
But what do
you look for?
Intelligence?
Patience? Professionalism? Yes, all of these things.
If academic
qualifications are important to you - go for them. But
beware, when John, another 'mentoree', came to me, his
book had previously been edited by a writing professor -
but not to John's satisfaction. The writing had come back
'correct' but so wooden it was almost unreadable!
We worked
through the text, deleting qualifiers and all the clumsy
(but grammatically correct!) conjunctions until we had
writing that was fresh and fun to read. John has now self
published his book in his home town, much to the joy of
his family.
But are
those writing credits important to you? Do you believe
that only a best selling author can give you the advice
you need? If you do, you might be better advised to buy
books like "On Writing" by Stephen King and see
what you think.
Failing
that, you could contact a famous - or favourite - author
and ask if they ever mentor new authors. Most don't but
some will.
What about
the cost?
Again, it
depends on what you want. Just need an overall assessment
and a little guidance? You're probably looking at about
$300 to $500 for a 100,000 word novel. It's almost an
industry standard.
Want to
give your book and attitude a thorough workout (editing,
reworking etc?) Then budget perhaps double up to $1500 a
novel. Anything less and you have wonder what you're
getting. (You get what you pay for etc.)
Need
complete handholding, lots of encouragment and blow by
blow assistance? Most reputable mentors will charge
anything from $500 to $1000 a month for that - but are
usually open to negotiation depending on your
circumstances. Some will charge more - a lot more.
But
remember.
It's not
all about the writing. Sometimes it's about turning you
into a writer, gaining the right mentality and putting
you on the road of self discovery, with the confidence
and skills to handle success in this industry.
Whatever
you get from it - it should be rewarding and fun. Shop
around to find a mentor that suits you, makes you feel
good about yourself and helps you grow - as a person and
an author.
