Thinking about working with a mentor but not sure if it’s right for you?

In this piece, Academy Coordinator Jade-Louisa Pepper explains what mentoring involves, who it’s for – and how it can help you take your writing to the next stage.

Writing can be a very lonely and solitary endeavour sometimes, but the best pieces of writing don’t come from an author tapping away on their laptop with nothing but a rapidly cooling drink next to them, writing into the void – they come from writing with the backing of a supportive community and a receptive audience. Without that support, writing can feel daunting and it’s all too easy to get stuck in a cycle of self-doubt, constant redrafting and trying (and failing) to develop a routine. 

If that’s the position you find yourself in, working one-on-one with a mentor might be just the thing you need. But how do you know this will be the right step for you and your project? 

You have the kernel of an idea, but not much else

Ideas are the cornerstone of any piece of writing, but unfortunately ideas alone do not a full-blown and complete project make. Turning that idea into more and building it into something substantial can be a tricky process, whether you’re new to writing or have several manuscripts under your belt. A mentor, someone who has gone through the idea-to-planning-to-writing phase themselves, might be just the person you need to help you transform your idea into the start of a story.

You want to develop a routine

A writer’s routine isn’t just about getting up at a set time to write X number of words before heading into the office; it’s about learning how you write and what your personal process is before even starting a new project. There are so many contradictory pieces of advice on what a ‘writer’s routine’ should look like, but the truth is it’s very personal, and trying to do things the ‘right’ way can make things harder for yourself, stifling your ability to create at all. Through time, and reading your work as it develops, a mentor can demystify the writing process a bit, helping you to find the writing routine that feels the most comfortable and works for you.

You’re stuck

Even when you think you know what is wrong and should, in theory, be able to unstuck yourself, actually doing so and pushing through to finish a project is never easy. Rather than shelving the project in frustration, consider looking for some one-on-one support instead – our mentors will have been in the same position (and more than once, at that!) and can offer advice, encouragement and new ways of writing to help you not only get unstuck this time, but every time moving forwards.

You want deadlines

For some, strict deadlines and word count goals are the best way to get motivated. There’s nothing quite like a set date in the future that you have to have another chapter written by to get you writing, but self-imposed deadlines are all too easy to ignore. A mentor is an external force to hold you accountable and help you stick to your writing goals. 

If you think mentoring might be right for you, check out Faber Academy’s range of programmes. We have three lengths of mentorship, suitable for writers at any level and at any stage of their project.