Mentors and Coaches: What Are They Good for?

character rising out of book indicating how mentors and coaches improve writing

.Mentors and coaches come in all flavors and prices. Some are valuable helpers. Some are self-appointed, inexperienced hustlers seeking easy money. Those who have walked the walk and paid their dues can ease the way to you living your dream. From time to time, we invite burgeoning or even experienced writers to send us something they have written. Let’s consider some ways you can benefit from coaching or mentoring.

  • Learning the realities of publishing or self-publishing
  • Understanding how to polish and present your writing effectively so you can sell it.
  • Discovering where to submit your work and how to locate markets
  • Organizing your processes and your thinking

What do mentors and coaches do?

In a nutshell, they help take writers to their goals. Not very elucidating, is it? The problem is there are as many ways of coaching or mentoring as there are writing mentors and coaches. There are too many fake coaches or mentors who failed at something else and decided anyone can write, so why not coach writers? At the least, if you hire someone to move you toward your goals, you need to know what your goals are.

When establishing such a relationship, a written contract is absolutely necessary. That document should spell out exactly what the coach will do, how progress is measured, and the writer’s responsibilities.

What mentors and coaches should convey upfront

First, I acknowledge that, in all likelihood, I worked over their writing like the Incredible Hulk works over a villain. I don’t apologize. Back in the day, I worked with hulking editors and meteors who could have skinned a cat with their teeth. And I am grateful for every one of them. 

Next, I say, a writer should never feel obligated to implement changes suggested by anyone. Writing is personal, and the writer has full control (unless it’s a paid assignment). I find nuggets of truth in other people’s suggestions and make any changes that resonate with me

Once, a professor told me I was a self-conscious writer. I didn’t understand until he explained that I was in my own head, thinking more about how I wrote about how I sounded than about what I said or the story I was telling. A lightbulb appeared over my head. Yep, I liked using my extensive vocabulary to show off how well I wrote. That conversation altered my entire process. A coach should be able to do something similar for the writer.

And then writers should be told never to present a piece of writing to anyone until they are completely sure it is their best writing. There is never a good excuse for showing sloppy work and then explaining that, of course, you were going to fix it up. 

A piece of universal advice

Writers label their work essays, short stories, and slices of life. Fair enough, but understand that each of those forms has conventional definitions. Each exists to convey ideas in a certain way. There are expectations about how each is constructed. If a writer identifies as an essayist, that writer should know what an essay is, how it is structured, and what it is expected to communicate. Why does that matter? Does a writer want to be perceived as a professional or as a rookie? Study up on writing.

Though my latest mentee describes his work as a body of essays, they read as vignettes. I advised him, “If you deepen the explanations (not lengthen, but deepen), so you share what’s going on in your own mind and emotions, then we (as readers) start seeing messages that apply to our own situations.”

That moment is when we begin to find reasons to agree or disagree with a writer. We feel invested and see good reasons to seek out the writer’s work and read more. We identify with what happened to that storyteller, nod our heads, and know we have felt what they feel.

Think of an unfocused photo. When we look at it, we wish we could see more. We’re interested but not pulled in. The image stops us because we don’t see it clearly.

On the other hand, a focused photo, sharp and clear, has depth. As we take it in, we see things we might miss at first glance. Those things evoke feelings and memories. As writers, our goal is to deliver a clear image with sharply focused words, thoughts, and ideas.

Kill your darlings

Effective mentors and coaches will advise that when you reread your work, first fix all the mechanicals so you aren’t distracted. Then read again, ignoring rules and conventions, and be sure you see a sharp, clear vision of everything that needs to be seen, whether in the action or the thinking and subtext. 

Now rewrite. Be ruthless as you cut out words that don’t move the reader forward. I love Hemingway’s advice, “Kill your darling.” He was dead right in his thinking. If we write something, a sentence, a description, a metaphor that lures us into thinking it’s amazing prose to be preserved no matter what, it’s probably not. Those darlings are clear evidence of self-conscious writing.

Polish. Make sure a subtext shows readers what they have in common with you as a human. Give readers specific reasons to keep reading or to read again, looking beyond the surface of the piece.

Final thoughts

Do writers need mentors and coaches? This question could spark heated debates. If a writer is beginning to practice their craft, a well-taught class can be a significant leg up. Revisiting grammar, syntax, structure, conventions, and so forth will make anyone’s writing shine. As a writer progresses, there comes a time when getting another person’s reaction is essential. 

Are mentors and coaches any good?

Some are. Some are not. There are all kinds of mentors and coaches. I’ve worked with editors who were dedicated enough to care about my work and help me build an amazing career. Some of my teachers were incredible mentors. I’ve read books, like Stephen King’s On Writing, that inspired me to do new things. 

High-quality writers’ groups can be as impactful as some mentors and coaches can be. While I’m not a fan of mentors and coaches who charge hundreds of dollars, I know that writing can be isolating, and forging a solid relationship with an experienced muse goes a long way toward career development. It’s a personal choice. If you can afford to hire a skilled, experienced, trained coach, by all means, consider it. 

It’s possible to hook up with a veteran wordsmith who gives back by mentoring up-and-comers. Hang out with writers online or in real-time. Start a dialog, and you might connect with someone willing to work with you. If you work well together and both meet your needs, it could be a beautiful thing.

Keep writing. Write a lot. Read a lot, too. You will learn much from other writers. And above all, be sure you know why you write each piece of work, no matter what it is. If you don’t understand why you put those words down, how will we?


Learn more

3 Red Flags When Hiring a Book Coach or Writing Mentor

The Truth About Job Board Freelancing (Look at reality, writers!)

 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Copyright©2023 Ontext.com.
All rights reserved.