Before I tell you about the mentorship opportunity that my headline so simply announces, I feel that I should first tell you about the mentor.
I met Jodi Cleghorn online. It seems that apart from a very rare Canadian opportunity, thanks to one wonderful warm friend (and all three of the girls who I miss very muchly!), that most of my meet and greet of other authors happens online. Lucky for me, I get to meet some fine publishing industry professionals in my role as Editor at SQ Mag. Dan Rabarts introduced me to a group of others, working together on an idea of Jodi’s to help boost productivity, to get down and get more writing done. And boy, did we!
When Jodi has critiqued my work in the past, she seems able to see straight to the heart of a manuscript. She will ask you all the right questions about motivations, where you want that story to go. My work is better for having had her excellent insight.
Jodi tries new ideas, methods, makes connections with others in her field. She’s edited and published anthologies with her publication company, eMergent Publishing, which she’s revitalising with some of the funds from the program. She’s written an excellent guide to being a beta-reader.
Ok, so now that I’ve talked up this excellent writer, let’s talk about the deal. I’ll let Jodi’s own words explain her program, For the Asking:
THE BIRTH OF A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
I’m not the only one who hungers for connection, for support and for the confidence that comes when others invest their belief in you.
I’m also not the only one who is constantly looking to upgrade their skills, deepen their creative connection and seek innovation in story telling.
And surprisingly enough, I’m not the only one looking for creative and sustainable ways of building an art-commerce model of income to support myself – in this case it’s the double whammy of not just funding myself as a writer but also a small press that wants to pay authors well.
This has culminated in the conception of a mentorship program that draws on my own experiences, skills and accumulated insights. My vision is to be the curator of a supported creative space with the benefits of one-to-one personalised attention and small group interaction.
If you want to know more, head straight over to Jodi’s post detailing the initial offering. I know she will be posting more soon, detailing more of what it will involve.
But you have to apply; there’s a form. Get in soon, Jodi will be choosing a select four by Sunday, the 6th of September to start the following week.
I can honestly say that you won’t regret working with Jodi and her eagle eyes.