A large number of published writers are exposing the secrets of the trade to anyone who wants to read it. Astounding, isn’t it? Check out Poe’s Deadly Daughters. Here, day after day, the bloggers not only promote their books, but give advice to budding authors. This is free.
Why do they do this? Because they believe in mentoring. They are telling me what they’ve learned the hard way. So what if I then write the Great American Novel using the advice they’ve given me? So what if I become a competitor? A mentor is a person who helps another person along, just because they want to. Because they believe in it. It’s as simple as that.
Mentoring can happen any time you know something that someone else needs to know. When I worked as a technical writer/editor, I often helped others learn to do what I already knew how to do. Truthfully, I take great pride in their success. They had what it took to do the job, but they needed a little boost, a little information, a little support.
My spouse also looks back to the people who mentored him as he was learning to do land surveying, sometimes insisting that he learn certain information. Later, he mentored others. He too takes pride in the successes of those he mentored. It’s a satisfying thing to do.
So many of the satisfactions of life don’t have a thing to do with money, achievement, or fame. They come in the little things that make a difference. Mentoring is one of those things.
Take some time to help someone else learn. You won’t be sorry.
Take a look at some of the blogs I feature for writers (Blogs for writers I simply love). Some blogs just promote the author. Most teach a little along the way.
Marilynne
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Marilynne, thank you for the complimentary mention of Poe’s Deadly Daughters. I always swore I would never be a blogger, but working with the other ladies on PDD — who have come to feel like sisters — has been a great experience. We do very little self-promotion on the blog, but we love to promote other writers through guest spots and interviews. I’ve especially enjoyed finding first-time mystery authors to interview, because I know from personal experience that every little bit of exposure helps. I hope our readers enjoy what we’re doing, because it truly is a labor of love — the love of books and good stories.
Thanks for dropping by Sandra. I realized today that I’m getting a lot of good information from Poe’s Deadly Daughters. Keep it up.
Marilynne
Thanks for mentioning Poe’s Deadly Daughters, Marilynne. From the day I hesitantly attended my first gathering of mystery writers, I’ve heard that mystery writers are the most generous and noncompetitive bunch you’d ever want to meet, and that’s held true without any exceptions that I can think of offhand. I’ve heard a very successful author say, “Mystery writers love to help each other.” I wrote for decades without mentoring, and that may be why it took till midlife to get my first novel published. We really need all the tips we can get about the writer’s craft, the quest for an agent and a publisher, and how to promote the book when it does appear. Liz
Thanks for visiting. I too am amazed at how willingly mystery writers help each other.
Now, if you could think of an easy way for me to recycle all the mysteries I’ve read and couldn’t bear to give away – until now – I’d appreciate it.
Marilynne
It’s funny but I saw something somewhere about Poe’s Deadly Daughters recently in my sojourns around the ‘net. As for mentoring? I could never have gotten to the level of the entertainment industry that I did if not for the people (nearly all men–go figure?) who mentored me from the bottom to the top. Many times they did it out of a desperate attempt to relieve their own workday stresses by training a more than willing assistant, sometimes because they claimed they recognized someone with talent (again, go figure!) that they enjoyed, and sometimes incomprehensibly, both!
Whatever their reasons, I thank them for their generosity along the way. Thanks for pointing out one of the good things in our sometimes scant society.
P.
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