2020 Writing Mentorship

Every spring for the last several years I’ve run a Writing Mentorship. It has been a singular joy to me to walk with a small group of writers who want to hone their gifts and are committed to the exercises of the writing life. Through past mentorships I’ve met wordsmiths like Sarah Willard, Annie Parsons, Eric Schumacher, and more. I’ve read sublime writing and had beautiful conversations with the mentees.

I had no idea how this spring was going to play out post-book release and so I promised nothing. But I’ve found I do have margin to run a WM and would love to invite you to participate. I am who I am not because of one person or program, but because of the many hundreds of investments others made in me and I made in myself over the past twenty years as a writer. I have had many teachers and cheerleaders along the way, and I would love to be just one of many guides in your life too.

Each year I’ve run the mentorship, I’ve changed things up a bit. This year will be no different. And by that I mean, it will be different! It will be nine weeks this time, running from March 20-May 15th. It will also have different content than past mentorships I’ve run.

Here’s what some past participants have said:

“I cannot think of a way in which this course did not exceed my expectations. You served each of us so well over these last few weeks, pouring into our writing, sharing content that was both challenging and enlightening, and encouraging us as writers and followers of Christ.”

“It has been the single best thing for me as a writer. Pivotal.”

As always, if your aim is to get published quick and become Internet famous, this is not the group for you. Most of the advice out there for folks who want to get published is all about making connections, networking, building a platform, getting an audience, etc. I don't want to disparage those efforts, but I think the thing our world is really thirsting for is not more writers, but better writers. Becoming better writers takes time, feedback, humility, a willingness to edit and be edited, patience, the ability to hear the word no, and not see a no as a deterrent but instead as a tool to shape and hone writing. 

It will be a place where you will exercise the muscles of non-fiction first person narrative spiritual writing (much like the sort you find on Sayable). These will be short and long essays. The best writers know what they think about all kinds of things, instead of simply regurgitating whatever research or popular opinion is floating about. There are plenty of deeply theological writers out there whose lives are woefully uninspected, who find themselves caught off-guard in all kinds of pride and arrogance and fear and doubt and more because while they knew much about God, they overlooked inspecting their own hearts. Prepare to inspect your own heart during this course and to write about it.

You should expect to commit about 15-45 minutes a day to writing, depending on how quickly you write and how much you procrastinate. There is also one book you’ll need to read, plus one article/podcast each week. Plan on spending about 2-3 hours a week on this. We will also have a biweekly Zoom video call with everyone who can make it, and during the duration of the course you will get a one on one coaching call with me.

You will need to purchase one of these books:  On Writing, Walking on Water, Bird by Bird, or The Writing Life. It doesn’t matter which one, just pick one that looks most interesting to you. You will need to have it read by the beginning of week two, so buy it soon and get started. 

You will need access to and familiarity with Google Docs as it will be our main tool. I will not be mentoring on how to use it. If you have questions, google them. I will explain more in the syllabus, but familiarity is a must. 

The cost for this nine week mentorship is $270. You will need to Paypal or Venmo the entire amount before March 20, 2020, to have access to the group. Once you’ve applied and been processed, I will send you my Paypal/Venmo information.

If you can do all this and want to commit, then by golly, I want to have you! Apply here by Wednesday, March 18. I will accept 20 applicants. The group will begin on March 20, 2020 and conclude on May 15th.

Hope to hear from you soon!

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