Mentoring for the less confident

Everyone has something to teach. Yes, that includes you. It might not be unique to you, it might not be earth-shattering, you might have read it somewhere else in the first place, but you can pass it on and someone else will find it useful (not necessarily the person you're passing it onto right now, but that's another story).

Last week a newsletter from writer, editor, mentor, writing coach Rachel Thompson exhorted us all to become mentors, particularly if we're looking for mentoring ourselves. The point she was making was that even if you're not doing brilliantly, there will be writers who haven't reached your level yet who might benefit from a helping hand (or a critical but encouraging word). Even if you're an absolute beginner, passing useful tips around writers at a similar level is a good thing.

Are you teaching other writers? Rachel Thompson asked. Well, yes I am (and sometimes I chuck out some writing advice in this blog) but I still get the 'who am I to talk?' doubts. It's good to remember that teaching or mentoring doesn't mean you have to be a superstar in your field, or have all the answers. As long as you're at least one step ahead of the person (or group) you're trying to help, they're going to gain something from you. And you don't have to be at the same level in every aspect, as this audio diary from Tania Hershman illustrates.

Tania Hershman writes short stories and, more recently, poetry. In the audio diary (a week in the life of a writer who's not writing much at the moment because her new book's just come out) she mentions being a mentor for a couple of short story writers, and knowing what she's looking for, what to suggest, in a way that she wouldn't have been able to ten years ago. She then says that to do the same for poetry might take her another ten years, because she doesn't have much experience in it yet. I can immediately see the sense in that, but it was refreshing to hear. Being a novice at novels doesn't mean I don't have plenty to offer in flash fiction, for instance.

As if to illustrate this point, up popped an interview at Zero Flash with Chris Drew, a flash fiction writer who's a well-known name among flash aficionados on Twitter, and hopefully beyond. With the usual drawerful of abandoned novels, he changed writing tack and took off. He's only been submitting flash fiction for about eighteen months, but he's already successful and has advice to share with new writers.

So come on, writers (artists, musicians, family historians...) think of something you can do to help the people following you. It might give you some insight into your own work at the same time.