Hello, everyone... and a question.

Hi, everybody!

I'm new here, and for a lot of reasons - not the least of which is that my job seems to be allowing my brain to nap all too frequently - I have been contemplating offering some time here as a mentor. Having a liberal arts background, and an avocational interest in writing short fiction, I have occasionally been told that I might have something to offer in the way of helping aspiring writers to use imagery to good effect. I am not so sure that it's true, but I'm increasingly interested in knowing whether anyone might feel that they need help in the area of "painting with words".

Beyond that, though, I have a question to which some here might wish to speak. I recently became aware of a young lady, at the threshold of college, who has what I believe to be a particular gift of translating images into words. She does not yet recognize her talent, and tends to be self-effacing... almost deprecatory. She does, however, confess that she loves to write, and uses her short works of fiction to purge herself. She has had a difficult life, though it is yet short, and much of her material is visceral, and deals with aspects of life that young women (and young men) invariably need to explore, i.e., sex, love, and the difference between the two.

This young lady has expressed an interest in "branching out", and seems to have responded to my comments and suggestions on her writing. So, I suppose, my dilemma is this:

I would like very much to help her to apply her talents to various aspects of storytelling, but I am concerned that my attempt to lure her toward more "mainstream" content would be tantamount to "policing" her expressiveness. The thread on "Life Story Writing" is what really prompted me to post this question, but I thought I might generate more thoughts on it here.

I am trying to get this articulate, gutsy young lady to consult regularly with teachers, career counselors and the like, but I am feeling somewhat of a personal responsibility to see to it that she doesn't get lost in the mist.

Penny for your thoughts? Maybe there's someone here with a similar experience. I'd be thankful for any input.

8o

I'm a bit hazy on the question.

Is she considering not going on to college? Is that why you're advising her to meet with teachers, career counselors etc?

It sounds like her themes are age-appropriate and "branching out" occurs naturally with maturity and life experience.

I would certainly encourage her to continue her education and continue to write. Whether she succeeds, in most definitions of the word, will depend on her talent and ambition.

hmmm

I *think* I understand what you mean... you want her to create work that will be accepted and applauded by the mainstream, but you don't want her to lose the rawness that first attracted you to her work? That's the way I see it, anyway.

This is quite a hard situation, because if she really doesn't have the 'whatever it is' that drives people to go through the whole writing, revising, sending off, processing rejections... well then, you can't force it on her. Chances are if you encourage her and repeatedly tell her she's brilliant, she'll decide that she wants to be a writer herself. Anyway, that made little sense, glean what you can from it.

Mia

Thank you!

Guys -

Thanks so much for your input. You both made perfect sense, and did a near-telepathic job of interpreting my nebulous question.

In the near future, hope to make myself available here in some mentorship capacity, and perhaps I'll be able to encourage this young lady.

Thanks always -

W.

re mentoring...

dear word... i do mentor many young writers [+ many not so young!], and would be happy to take your protege under my wing, if she needs ongoing encouragement and feedback on her writing... if you would like, you can email me for info, plus feedback from mentees and pass me on to her if you think it would be appropriate...

love and hugs, maia
[email protected]

Mentoring

Maia -

Thanks very much for your encouragement and your kind offer, and I'll certainly bear it in mind. In large part, however, this young lady's life has been as difficult as it has largely because she has been "passed off" to others on far too many occasions, especially by the most significant people in her life. That said, now that she seems to trust me and she's considering that she might not be entirely invisible to the world, I'm gonna "hold her hand" myself for a little while. And, I won't lie and tell you it doesn't feel really good.

W.