I started working with my mentor, Lucy, in September 2021, when I was a wee baby writer. Until then, I’ve been attending my beloved Writers Group and taking rather random courses online. In September 2021, my son started secondary school. Possibly because I felt like the young people of the household would soon leave the house, I ramped up my writing. So, probably out of sheer terror, I committed to the next level of being a writer.
Working with Lucy has been an uplifting experience. When I started working with her, I was a) terrified of her (because she’s confident and squarely in the “cool kids” category and also has quite a bit of a mouth) and b) terrified of the process. I worried that I wouldn’t be good enough, that I wouldn’t keep up, or that I would say something wrong, and she’d yell at me (she does that, but only to “dudeflakes” as far as I can tell). But Lucy made me feel fantastic. She has this remarkable way of intuiting how much feedback is stretching me and developing my writing and how much is too much. She never crossed that line, only toed it a few times. When that happened, and I felt overwhelmed, she saw it immediately and pulled me back from the brink. That made me feel safe with her, and I started sending her earlier, less polished drafts.
There’s nothing like specific, gentle feedback on my own writing. It’s the best learning tool I’ve ever encountered. Something about being able to apply the lesson to my writing, about knowing how I felt when I wrote this specific scene or sentence, makes the feedback elevate not just the piece I’m working on but my subsequent writing.
I’ve worked hard and received a lot of support, and all of that has contributed to where I am now. But without Lucy, I wouldn’t be a published author today. She stretched me just the right amount at just the right times. I think the critical point wasn’t to find someone who would give feedback–I’ve worked with several editors and teachers before I started working with Lucy. The trick, for me, was to find someone who understood me and my particularity and could accommodate us.
Several stars need to align for a mentor-mentee relationship to work. In September 2021, these stars aligned perfectly for me, and I’m grateful for that.
And I am so grateful to be working with you all this time! It's been fabulous to see you blossom and grow as you commit to your craft and your career. You genuinely get better every time I read something of yours. I feel very lucky and privileged to accompany you on your writing journey. 🌹 From Lucy V