Oh yes they do. And not just one mentor but several. I'm painfully aware of this since a very close friend died this year who I'd known from our first day at university. She was definitely a mentor as well as a friend: a sounding board, guide, listener, sometimes critic, reflector back, processor of news good and bad... I could go on.
Writers definitely need a mentor and are very very lucky if they find one. It's no good sitting at the computer churning out prose and not having it reflected upon or explored - by someone I utterly trust. My mentor (in my case my agent), is far more than a critical friend. The best thing he does is expose the opportunities in my writing that I have missed. What a gift.
But we need other mentors too to support us in managing our families and homes and work and life generally. It might be just a formal word for friendship but actually I think knowing who to go to for advice, and really being prepared to take it, is an essential life-skill and should be on every curriculum. Seek advice. Be prepared to follow it....
Katharine, I couldn't agree with you more. I wish I had had a mentor when I started my business this year to guide me through these tough first 12 months! I'm certainly learning the hard way at present but it certainly is character building!
ReplyDeleteZoe xxx
Well very good luck with the business. If ever there's an area that needs a mentor it's that.
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