A friend of mine recently returned from an eye-wateringly expensive creative writing retreat. Was it worth it? “Yes,” she said. “But Mij, they didn’t teach me anything you hadn’t already told me for free over a pint or a cup of tea.”
There was a brief pause while a few rusty cogs turned in my mind. Now I’m a writing mentor.
I think I’ve got the qualifications: a degree in English Literature, an M.Phil. in Publishing Studies, experience as an editor, as a WEA creative writing teacher, as a writer visiting schools – not to mention twelve published books to my name and three more on the way.
So if you’re looking for a guide as you set off on that lonely trek into the wilderness that is your first novel, why not let me be your Sherpa Tenzing, your Gandalf, your Obi-Wan Kenobi – your Mary Poppins?
In the past, I’ve sometimes felt uneasy about teaching creative writing, simply because the benefits are so hard to quantify. Also, at my back I always hear William Goldman whispering, “Nobody knows anything!”
As a result, I want to give value for money and I will try my hardest to respect your unique voice – however different it is from my own. The mentoring I offer is face-to-face and one-to-one. If you can get yourself to York, I can offer you a free half-hour initial assessment. You have to believe I can help you and I have to believe I can help you too. If we can tick both those boxes, then it’s £20 a hour for each face-to-face session thereafter, at whatever pace suits you – an hour a week, an hour a month or even an hour every three months. I’ll read what you write, I’ll tell you what I think and I’ll help you set goals for yourself. Obviously, you can end the sessions whenever you want.
Interested? Then contact me.
