My Experience With An Author Mentorship Program
In June of this year, I completed the most grueling revisions of my (admittedly short) author career when I got accepted into KissPitch. For those unfamiliar, KissPitch, formerly a Twitter pitch event geared at connecting Romance and Women’s Fiction writers with agents, was reinvented and turned into a mentorship program. It was ran by the wonderful group who brings Romanclandia together each Friday with #FridayKiss.
KissPitch wasn’t the first mentorship program I had applied for. In previous years, with my first manuscript, I tried to get into others, wanting desperately to get my manuscript miraculously in shape so agents wouldn’t be able to resist it. Those previous submissions never garnered so much as an additional request for materials or a sub-tweet that the mentees even found the premise or writing interesting. They say writers have to get used to rejection, but I absolutely hate it, and swore off mentorship programs from then on. Then, while working on my second novel, I heard about KissPitch.
I think writing and trying to get our words into the world can be a lot like childbirth. Coming from a mom of two who dealt with backlabor the drugs did nothing to dull, then had to recover from an emergency c-section, this metaphor is right on point! But, like labor, once you heal from the pain (in this case sting of rejection), your brain manages to block out the associated trauma and you’re ready to put yourself out there again. So, I did. And as the title very well states, I was selected!
The Beginning
We submitted our query, synopsis, and writing sample. The mentors then requested materials and asked questions about my limits and flexibility as a potential mentee. I was tempted to tell them I’ll do whatever they think is best for my book just so I could get in, but I didn’t. It’s important that you and your mentor have the same vision for your story (this is also important for future agent and editor relationships), so I was honest in my responses. One of the most important aspects to me was that I wanted my manuscript to remain single POV. I’d hoped that my mentors would agree.
Once chosen and the program was fully underway, my wonderful mentees sent me an edit letter and encouraged me to read through the story again, this time completing some homework. The homework included reverse-outlining and creating the Goal Motivation Conflict (GMC) for each character. Good lord. GMC’s almost took me out! I had an idea of what GMC’s entailed and vaguely kept them in mind when I initially plotted my story–I made sure my main characters had goals at odds with them initially being together–but therein lies the keyword: vague. My mentors helped me see that precise GMC’s made for well-rounded, lively characters that moved the plot forward with purpose. And by each character, I mean the main love interests as well as each side character. The GMC chart was unfamiliar and took a few tries to nail, but my mentors helped me through the growing pains and I was ready to tackle revisions.
The Revisions
The program ran for two months, which is an absolutely crazy short time to complete full revisions. After I’d completed the worksheets and GMC, I had about six weeks to incorporate the changes, then revamp the query and synopsis, and a final two weeks for scenes that needed a little more work.
After talking to my mentors, I’d decided to change my novel from 3rd person past tense to 1st person present. Essentially, I re-wrote the full manuscript. I was sure I’d finish the program looking like Popeye with swole forearms after all the hours spent re-typing. Not only did I change tenses, I revamped the first chapter, killed some darlings, added in some additional scenes, and upped the emotional hit of the ending. It was a lot, and along the way I had so many doubts about my ability to pull everything off.
But, I did it. I finished the program. On June 30th, my mentors wished me well (but not farewell) as I prepared for the trenches.
What I Got Out of My Mentorship
Tools! Knowing how to do an effective GMC is a game changer. It’s a technique I will use for my next project, and other beyond.
Mentors! I had the privilege of working with not one, but two mentors who were knowledgeable, honest, encouraging, and hilarious. They knew exactly what to do to help me shape the story into what I wanted it to be, while still keeping my voice and the heart of my characters. They never pushed me to take it somewhere I didn’t want it to go, and ultimately left all the changes up to me. They were the epitome of how good mentors should be, and I’m never letting them go. Ever.
Friends! When you hear of writers who have gone through mentorship programs, you inevitably hear of how the real magic was in the friendships formed. That’s because it’s true. Us mentees had a chat where we gushed together, freaked out about the crazy deadlines, and lifted one another up. It’s a special bond we have that wouldn’t have been possible without KissPitch bring us together.
Confidence! My mentors gave me an edit letter, helped me brainstorm changes, then gave their invaluable feedback on those changes. What they didn’t do was hold my hand as I worked on the revisions. They had their own manuscripts and day jobs, so while they were there to reiterate that they believed in me, I had to believe in myself and my story enough to turn my novel into what it is today. Now, when I re-read the story, I can’t help but be proud of the work I did and hope that one day I’ll be able to pay it forward and help other authors.
If you’re reading this and you’re on the fence about applying to a mentorship program, if you’ve vetted the program and who you’ll be subbing to, I say go for it! Not all experiences are created equal, but there is a lot to learn from those who have been in the industry for a while. If you’ve applied before and been rejected, don’t let that keep you down. As they say in publishing, it only takes one yes.
