Guys, I have been a huge Lisa Samson fan since forever. In fact, I distinctly remember reading the Christy Award winning novel, Songbird, and thinking, “This is how I want to write.”
When I found out about her service called Writerly Conversations, I thought I’d ask her a few questions about finding mentors.
At what point in a person’s writing journey do you feel it’s a good idea to seek out a writing mentor, and where can authors find writing mentors?
It’s good to seek out a mentor when your serious about getting published and have done some of the hard work of figuring out how to write up front. Perhaps you’re already submitting to agents and houses and getting rejection letters. That’s a great time to get help. An experienced writer/mentor has been through enough critique with their editors, they inherently know what a writer needs to do to not only catch the eye of an editor but what the editor needs to know: Is this writer really ready? I see those things intuitively now and look to various aspects of a writer’s manuscript with an agent’s and an acquisitions editor’s eye. If it looks like too much work needs to be done up front, they are going to take a pass.
It’s always exciting to have someone interested in your work. How can an author tell if their writing mentor is a good fit for them?
I truly believe that’s a matter of personality and expectation. When I mentor it’s with people who want to enjoy the process, be truly encouraged as a creator, and who like truth with a spoonful of sugar and a nice chat. There are people I would drive crazy because I view my clients as real people with which a good, strong creative connection can grow. That takes emotional finesse as well. I believe feeling safe and heard is the most important flow. Who do you get a good connection with? Who makes you actually want to write? Who gets you excited about your work? There it is.
Do you think there’s ever a time when having a writing mentor is a bad idea?
Absolutely. When a writer just wants affirmation not guidance, when any time a helpful suggestion is made the writer feels umbrage, they are not the ones for mentors. They’re not ready to set their ego aside. In many ways, a writer has to admit the need for it, and the experience can be helpful.
Oftentimes, it’s difficult to find a writing mentor. What are some alternatives?
There’s really nothing that beats personal communication. Mentoring means one on one guidance in a relationship setting. However, there are good alternatives to receive personal feedback. Critique groups, a writing buddy with whom you can let the chapters fly between you, and critique services. I do something called a Writerly Conversation, which is almost like a drive-through mini-mentor moment. I ready twenty pages and we have a 60-minute conversation. It’s amazing the connection writers and I get to have, even in that short amount of time.
Thank you, Lisa!
You can find Lisa around the web at the links below.
Writerly Conversations on Facebook
Lisa has coauthored a new book with Len Sweet. This Christmas tale is arriving just in time for the season. ST. IS will be available on Amazon starting 11/11.
Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.
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