On being a writer...


A celebration of the writing process, of being a writer, of all the weird things that pass through a writing brain...


Wednesday 10 October 2012

everyone needs a mentor

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....

2 comments:

  1. 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!
    Zoe xxx

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  2. Well very good luck with the business. If ever there's an area that needs a mentor it's that.

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