We’re talking today about your mentorship toolkit. Every writer should have one, so I want to get you thinking today about who is in yours.
That’s right. I said WHO. We aren’t talking today about skills, products, or services. We are talking about the people in your life and in your career as an author that have made an impact on you in a meaningful way.
Mentors
First on the list for your mentorship toolkit are the people you look to as mentors. You may not know them personally, but they are people you learn from, people that inspire you, or writers who are just getting more done than you may be right now. On my list of my mentors are a number of huge names–only one of which I met for about 20 seconds at a book signing. Take a look:
- Brandon Sanderson
- Brandon Mull
- J.K. Rowling
- Neil Gaiman
- Christopher Paolini
- Sarah J. Maas
Whether these are people writing in your genre, people farther along in the publishing path, or just people you plain admire, your mentors teach you things you didn’t know about writing, and inspire you to greatness.
Peers
Next on the list are your peers. These are people that are typically on your level, or above with writing. Often these are the people in your hometown or online that you know and have a personal connection with. You can swap chapters with them and bounce all your ideas around without them looking at you sideways for wanting to (figuratively) kill someone.
Mentees
Last are those you consider mentees. These are aspiring writers who are not at your level yet. They are people to which you are able to give sound advice, and who may look up to you as their own mentors. These can be aspiring writers as well as your future readers, who look to you to produce their next favorite novel that inspires them. You never know who you might be inspiring with your work!
No matter the level of skill, there should always be someone in your mentorship toolkit, and I’d encourage you to take the time to figure out your own.
I’d love to know who’s in your toolkit! Let me know in the comments!
