Searching For a Mentor -- Sci Fi/Fantasy

Mentors are not lying around waiting to be approached and requested to act as unpaid tutors.

Mentors are usually attracted by demonstrated talent and pick who they wish to mentor.

There is a wealth of information in this site, gategod.

Take the time to browse, and contribute to the Share-Your-Work Forums.

Nothing will help you more than reading the work of others with a critical eye. Becoming aware of the flaws in the work of others is the best way of gradually becoming aware of and able to spot the flaws in one's own work.

Bufty said:

Nothing will help you more than reading the work of others with a critical eye. Becoming aware of the flaws in the work of others is the best way of gradually becoming aware of and able to spot the flaws in one's own work.

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To continue on what Bufty said, there are three ways - that I've seen - to get better with your writing.

1. Read more, like Bufty said. LOTS more, stuff you like and stuff that makes you want to cringe.

2. Write more. The more you do, the better you become at picking out your own flaws and being able to deal with them.

3. Get criticism and don't be afraid to hear the bad stuff. That's the hardest part, not least because as Bufty pointed out, it takes time and investment - not monetary, just effort - to find people willing and able to give it.

You can do the first two points by yourself, if no one is available at the moment to assist, and I can't stress them enough. The more you read/write, the better you will get and the better you will be able to find areas in your own writing that could be improved.

Why oh why does the title of this thread not change?

It clearly says "mentors". So it creates expectations, in particular for new arrivals.

The title also includes beta readers. Many members look for those and find them here (even though SYW is a great resource too and there is the Maryn tread to warn people on issues).

I can't count the number of times people have asked in vain for a mentor here only to get the standard advice not to look for one this way.

It wastes time on both sides. Mods, please consider...

I have certainly met people here who have mentored me and I have mentored a few too. I think if the thread title doesn't apply to you, there's no need to respond.

I am pleased you found mentors via the site but I very much doubt your mentors were found by your specifically posting in this Forum and asking for one.

Most of the mentor requests here come from folk who are clearly nowhere near the mentor stage, who run the risk of getting a mentor who doesn't know what they are doing, and in many cases those requesting a mentor don't appear to know what being a mentor entails.

It is those requests that usually prompt the advice to consider alternative means of learning the craft.

Responding in such a manner does not strike me as unhelpful.

Karen Junker said:

I have certainly met people here who have mentored me and I have mentored a few too. I think if the thread title doesn't apply to you, there's no need to respond.

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Actually, I have indeed found mentors through this very forum.

I have also helped many, many writers who have asked for betas or crit partners or mentors through this forum. Many have thanked me, many have not.

A mentor can be anyone who offers to help -- and that can result in the writer recognizing that they do not want to take the advice offered. The same people who may not 'know what they're doing' are also helping on SYW and other threads in AW.

If the writer values the mentor's contribution, then it has been helpful. I think it's safe to let writers decide for themselves with whom they wish to form such a relationship. We can't control everything that happens around here.

Newer writers have enough to worry about. Why discourage them or imply that they don't know what they're looking for?

Your last paragraph is a tad unwarranted, Karen - that's not the thrust of any response I've given in the posts concerned.

I'm happy to accept that my interpretation of a mentor differs from yours.

And I do not demean anyone who offers advice in the SYW or other Forums. Indeed, I suggest folk make more use these facilities.

But over the years I have read responses to some of these requests for mentors where the responder appears to be at the same level of - or less- experience as the applicant - which would not fulfill my understanding of a 'mentor'.

I hope this issue doesn't last for long.

Karen Junker said:

Actually, I have indeed found mentors through this very forum.

I have also helped many, many writers who have asked for betas or crit partners or mentors through this forum. Many have thanked me, many have not.

A mentor can be anyone who offers to help -- and that can result in the writer recognizing that they do not want to take the advice offered. The same people who may not 'know what they're doing' are also helping on SYW and other threads in AW.

If the writer values the mentor's contribution, then it has been helpful. I think it's safe to let writers decide for themselves with whom they wish to form such a relationship. We can't control everything that happens around here.

Newer writers have enough to worry about. Why discourage them or imply that they don't know what they're looking for?

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Hey gategod:
You opened your thread with a thank you- that shows some class.

I’m brand new to this forum- I’ve hung around a tad on other forums and they mentioned that this place could be a little tough on newbies. Rather than tell you what you ‘should’ be doing to improve your craft, how about I simply address some of the questions you put up? So buckle up and let’s get to work.

Let’s start with your first question and take it from there…
Just today I got stuck with a scene because an image I had found online that fit perfect for it was so perfect that I just could never match what I was seeing in it with my descriptive writing. I came up with some great descriptors for most of what I was seeing, but a few pieces were just missing and I couldn't correct them. - A fresh pair of eyes could help!

Okay. I got some good news and some bad news. And it’s the same news. In your writing, you’re GOD man. That knife cuts both ways. YOU get to choose what the reader sees, and so you have to describe it to them. The simple rule could be less is more. The rule of thumb that I apply in cases like this is what are the three biggest aspects of that image you’re seeing that hit you first? Was it the interplay of colors? The interaction of the main subject with its surroundings? Was there some sort of action going on that grabbed you? Pick three and make them come alive in your typing.

Reference time! The other posters were kind enough to tell you that there ARE a lot of places to find advice on the web… but, they really didn’t give any good recommendations. Wait. Oh. They gave NONE. My first recommendation is (especially if you’re sort of new at this gig) is ON WRITING, by Stephen King. Even if you don’t care for his books, or haven’t read them, he pretty much hit the standard on what being a writer is with that book. I can’t give it a stronger recommendation. I’ve owned it for only a year and have read it twice. It’s that good. If you don’t have the dough, it’s in your local library. And if you’re REALLY serious about pursuing this dream that scares the shit out of you, then you’re going to have to go to the library and start borrowing books.

You came here as a student, young Jedi, and that means you’re gonna have to do some homework. But it’s cool, man. Not the boring tedious homework; it’s like homework for recess. Or gym. It’ll be interesting, man. How about if one of the most successful authors in the history of the printed word sat you down and said, ‘Yo. Here’s how you describe a setting. Let me show you from start to finish how I’ve done it.’ That’s in ON WRITING.

Here’s your next item:
Scene transitions. Yesterday I ended one scene, but couldn't find the words to form a flowing transition into the next scene so I had to ### cut to the next scene using a break. I didn't like that. - Could've used a new perspective.

That’s not a big deal; and I know it seems like that for you. Please refer to you being GOD, okay? You can warp time, warp places, create and drop in people in the worlds that exist from your writing. As long as your new scene is moving the story forward, creating a new chapter is a good quick fix, man. PizzaKake (as in ‘piece of cake’!)

Also... I procrastinate, think the next book in my head (the one that directly follows this one) will be 10 billion times better than this one... and that it won't matter cause this one will inevitably be boring and suck and not warrant anyone to read the next one.

That’s not procrastinating. That’s being scared. This statement and the next one reflect fear and doubt more than they reflect a talent level. Relax. Everyone goes through it; and it usually happens when you’re really deep into the book and it’s becoming drudgery. Don’t sweat it, because I’m going to share with you the absolute, foolproof, double your money back guarantee of how to deal with it.
Ready?
Okay. I think you are…
Shhhh!!!
The answer is be bold. As in ‘Be Bold! And Mighty Forces Shall Come To Your Aid!’. When you hit those times, you keep writing just on your guts, just to get through that section of your book. What that hell do you think revisions are for? When it gets really, really tough, you got to dig deeper for the discipline to keep going. You have to ‘be bold’. And when you say fuck it, I ain’t fucking stopping, you’re bold. And you won’t believe how easier it gets man.

BTW, that phrase about being bold- it ain’t mine; I stole it from a guy named Goethe. He was a cool, way cool writer, man.

Also... I tend to underwrite rather than overwrite. I'm incredibly slow. I've been writing "online" for about 9 years or so, but the first novel I tried to write was last year... I got about 75k words into it and realized it sucked and stopped writing it. Then another idea I killed after the first chapter because it was a clear ripoff of something else. Then this new idea struck me and I want more than anything to stick with it... forever.

75K words isn’t something to sneeze at, man. Those words didn’t appear on the pages by themselves. If you think they sucked, then so be it. The question I would encourage you to ask yourself is ‘What did you learn from their suck-ed-ness’? And if you can’t find the answer to that, you may have to work on skill development.

One thing at a time, okay?
Do not let this gig overwhelm you. That’s the first, the PRIME directive. Look- there’s something mystical that happens when we get ideas in our head and the words are just flying across the page, man. You know what I mean. It’s like our head explodes into the universe and we’re catching parts of the cosmos with our keyboard. That’s what keeps us coming back here- to get that fucker nailed to the page. Your first couple attempts are supposed to suck. They always have for every great writer. It’s what gets done when things suck that make great writers man.

That’s my advice for now. You honestly came here with a bunch of questions, and I’ve taken a shot at answering them. Let me know if you want to stay in touch.
BE BOLD! AND MIGHTY FORCES SHALL COME TO YOUR AID!

Desmond

sooooo........this thread took a bit of a turn downhill, but the bottom lines are these:

1. mentoring as a shit-ton-of-time commitment

2. folks are more likely to give that if they believe the person has talent, and/or they have a connection to that person.....both of which tend to be more likely to come from some presence and interaction here.....


nobody is saying you won't get a mentor. I came in green and got several, in smaller bites and pieces. I've mentored a few other people myself, and hope it has helped them. But folks I KNEW. The simple, perhaps unfair reason for this is I've also seen some real asshats go through, people too lazy, entitled, or otherwise fucked up to benefit. And my time, even the time I am procrastinating, it is worth something. I want to know enough to expect a return on investment.

So get out there. Get known. Participate. You'll learn, get better, for when you DO get a mentor, and be more likely to get one, too......

gategod said:

I am looking for a mentor, someone who can help me when I'm stuck and answer questions about minor things that crop up while I'm writing.

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If these are minor issues, you could start a thread about them in the appropriate forum. That shouldn't take a mentor (unless you're worried that posting in public about an idea or a plot twist will lead to that being copied, which is a whole 'nother matter).

Also... I have an entire world planned... but the way this first novel will go so little of it will be seen. Then in the second one... all new places will be seen without ever revisiting the places we've seen in the first novel... and then from there... I honestly don't think any of these places will be seen again in the third book either... so... that could be a problem as well. Does that matter?

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I don't understand how it could be a problem.

Do you think that your first novel will be shortchanged by the fact that it doesn't contain all the cool places? That's the nature of first novels, though. You're telling a story, not writing The Comprehensive Encyclopaedia of Fantasy Land. Better to make the readers wish they could see more of your world than to make them wish you would stop the damn descriptions already, no?

And if your three novels explore lands A, B and C but leave out D, who's to say you can't write a fourth novel set in D? Or if parts of A, B and C are left unexplored, write more novels set in the unexplored parts of A, B and C - as long as these are actual stories, and not just explorations of the fascinating milieu.

Or do you feel that the storyline in the first novel suffers because it's not set in lands A, B and C simultaneously?

Also... I tend to underwrite rather than overwrite. I'm incredibly slow.

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How would a mentor be able to make you write faster?

Go ahead, GateGod, PM me