Need A Mentor

Well, we'll see if this works. It has taken me a pretty long time just to find a site for writers where it looks like people can actually write, so so far so good.

I am just starting out. I *think* I am a pretty strong writer, based on my university career in which I got high marks in all my writing courses. Now, I realize that just having a degree does not affirm my skill, but my courses covered a wide range, including film critiquing, humour writing, in addition to the usual essay writing in history, geography, english, etc. I am NOT looking for a mentor who is automatically prejudiced against someone with a university education, as I have seen many writers to be. I understand it is useless in marketing oneself, but it is pretty valuable when it comes to honing abilities and research skills.

Where I really need help is marketing. I have no idea how to find markets, how to approach those markets, if what I write is good, etc. I like to write humour pieces, family pieces, nature pieces, and historical pieces. Books at some point, but I would really like to break in to newspapers and magazines to make money while the books come together.

I have read a few books on freelancing, and they are good in how they tell you how to create a proposal, a query, the technical points. They are not so good in trying to help determine where my strengths lie, what type of markets I should be approaching, or where to find those markets.

I could really use the help!

Oh yeah David Quammen if you come here then you would be IDEAL. LOL.
(No, just to clarify I am not that naive, just making a joke).

I would just like to thank the overwhelming number of people who replied! Never believe that writers are an exclusive bunch, or that you can't find good help on the Internet. This site has been incredibly helpful in my journey thus far, although not *quite* as helpful as monumental self-doubt.