Humans are social animals! Regardless of their ages and gender, they always need a companion. Sometimes, it is their longing for emotional support, sometimes for a sense of belonging, and sometimes for navigating in the right direction.
True companions reduce our apprehensions. They become our pillars of strength, boost our productivity, and can be in the shape of any kith or kin. It could be of your family member, a friend, or even an ex-teacher. Anyone could be your mentor in life.
A mentor is anyone whose advice you can trust. Who guides your actions, supports you, and trains you for future experiences. Such a companion is a staple for aspiring writers to help with guidance, feedback, and goal accomplishment.
Matching With An Intellectual ‘Writing Mentor’ In 2024
The year 2024 is the epitome of AI-enhanced, hyper-personalized and immersive technology for the diverse audience worldwide. However, the critical role of writing in connecting these audiences is a noteworthy intervention beyond question.
Writing can be beneficial for humans in many forms, such as reflective journaling, blogging, technical compositions, creative inscriptions and academic projects. All of these are examples of knowledge dissemination. The only difference that remains is that the knowledge flows in various streams, and for an interrupted flow – each stream requires direction.
Speaking of direction, sometimes having a compass or map does not take you to the destination, but a guide will make sure you turn your goals into reality. Thus, here we are on a mission of finding and selecting a writing mentor in 2024.
Knowing What You Want
A mentor is more like a companion and not a Supernatural being. He does not have the capability of magically fixing your content or making you the best seller overnight. Instead, he is a future mirror reflection of yourself. He is how you aspire to become. Hence, you are in dire need of his expert advice.
However, before getting started, you need to make sure that you know what you need. Your expectations need to be clear in your mind. It is important because without knowing it yourself, you cannot clearly explain your precise requirements to anyone. Therefore, many experts in the field suggest finding coaching and mentoring for a better future.
Some Bonus Tips for Beginners
Here are the qualities that a writing coach needs to have:
- Ability to encourage you and keep you motivated.
- A deeper understanding of writing techniques.
- Giving back helpful feedback.
- Should be able to offer compassion.
- Some valuable insights into the relevant industry.
- The talent of remaining patient and trusting the process.
Where to Dig in For Gold
The prestigious academic coaches are worth praise more than gold. They are gems that light up the way for writer and fill their literary journey with sparkles. Hence, once you are sure of what you want, you need to start your research based on those pillars.
There are numerous places, both physically and virtually, where you can look for a suitable writing mentor in 2024, such as LinkedIn groups and network referrals. Other than this, you can meet people at conferences, networking events, alumni meetups and professional membership associations.
Moreover, there is another way to dig in for the shiniest gems – Community events. No, not the social welfare community, but the group of people sharing the same passion and coming together for a cause. You can find such a writer’s community – both online and offline. There, you will find people with similar interests but different genres, niches and levels of expertise. It is just like a festival of literary experts where you get the chance to build relationships.
Selecting & Communicating
As soon as you identify someone with whom your goal matches, style aligns and personality clicks, you will know he or she is your potential writing mentor. However, you cannot just hire someone immediately. There has to be a trial-and-error process where you find, examine and select/reject.
Therefore, the moment when you think someone is hypothetically capable of meeting your requirements, reach out to them. For starters, you can break the ice with a nice email, text message or mail. The text that you write in there has to be polite and direct but courteous. You can start by mentioning how you heard of them to begin the conversation.
However, expecting a reply might be too optimistic, so hope for the best but always have a plan B, C and D. On the contrary, if you see a prospective writing coach in person, you can simply head in their direction and say –
‘Hi, I am (Your name here), and I am currently working on (insert name of topic) at the prestigious (Name of organization). I have a favour to ask you, and I would like you to consider my request. Can we talk?’
Show Your Determination
Now that you have met a probable book writing mentor that you want to work under, this is your final chance to win over them. You have to show them that you are worth investing time into, so here is a fine little trick. The first step is to find out about their social engagements and find out what they are doing this week.
Then reach the one place that can favour you for, say, a book reading session, a volunteering occasion, or any press meet. Now, what you do here is try to impress them without overdoing it. Hence, simply beat around the bush by participating in the event and manage to stand apart from the crowd. You can also show off some writing skills in a way that grabs attention.
Besides this, you can meet and build contacts with the people who work around them; for example, you could talk to their secretary. It is a very exciting idea to let their peers introduce you to the potential mentor. They will surely be impressed!
- How much does the writing mentor cost?
The average cost range for hiring a coach for writers is between fifty to three hundred US dollars per hour. However, some mentors prefer to be paid monthly, which can be up to $2500.
- What is the best source for hiring a writing coach?
The ideal source for hiring such a prestigious service can be any online platform like Grubstreet, Gotham Writer, LinkedIn, or any other social media group.
- Why is finding the right coach so hard?
There are a couple of reasons, such as compatibility issues, varying needs and goal alignment. Hence, the search process becomes extensive and challenging.
- What is a mentor checklist?
The following items should be on the checklist while finding the best candidate.
- Active listening
- Similar goals
- Ability to give constructive feedback
- Tracking of progress
- Open communication
- Willingness to work it out
The Summation Of All The Tips…
There has been significant growth in the writing and writing training industry. As evidence, many aspiring writers are attracted to this field, and this has led to an upsurge in the mentor hunt. This is mainly because no matter how hard some people try to invest their resources in the struggle, the outcomes are not satisfactory.
Therefore, in this search for a writing mentor, you must be sure that he or she is a perfect choice. According to experts’ research, a good mentor can guide you through the nuances of this field. In addition, he or she must offer personalized feedback, hone your craft and provide support to navigate challenges throughout the journey. Use this article to help you find a potentially suitable candidate.
