A well-matched mentoring relationship can give momentum to writers, helping to develop their craft and their awareness of the market they wish to enter. Our mentoring scheme will offer support and advice to 3 writers each year that, in our view, are able to demonstrate great promise and commitment. The scheme matches the selected writers to sympathetic, established, professional writers.
These relationships will be for an agreed periods of time, between 6 – 12 months, and will focus on developing the work of writers who have reached a critical point, enabling them to step beyond the private process of writing and onto new levels. Ultimately, the scheme aims to help writers to develop their work to a publishable standard.
The Writing East Midlands Mentoring Scheme comprises of:
· The opportunity for 3 writers a year to receive extended mentoring sessions and critiques on their work in progress with a matched established writer.
· 5 mentoring meetings with an established writer, to be taken over the time period of 6 months to a year, either via Skype or face-to-face.
· A year’s membership to the Society of Authors.
· Career development sessions with Writing East Midlands
· Access to tailored professional development workshops through the Writing East Midlands, Routes to Writing scheme.
· A free place to the Writing East Midlands, Writers’ Conference
The Mentoring Scheme is free for writers, and gifts successful mentees with up to £2000 free support to their writing goals.
· A further 15 applicants who have not been successful to interview stage, but have shown particular promise will receive a free critique on their creative work submitted to for the application.
The Writing East Midlands Mentoring Scheme is very popular and continues to attract an increasingly high number of submissions each year.
Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to offer individual feedback on submissions. However, in light of the growing popularity of the scheme, we’re pleased to offer a limited number of short critiques from one of our Writing School East Midlands tutors to applicants who show particular promise and talent, but who have not been shortlisted for the mentoring scheme at this time.
Submission Guidelines
We will require writers to develop a specific piece of work-in-progress. The mentor will offer constructive criticism and support in a number of sessions to help take the work forward.
This scheme would best suit emerging writers able to display real commitment. The mentoring scheme is also available for established writers in one form who are looking to develop their writing in different forms.
Eligibility
Writers must be resident in the East Midlands at the time of application and intend to continue to live in the region throughout the mentoring period.
Writers will not be accepted for the service more than once in any three-year period.
The scheme will be open to published or unpublished writers.
This scheme is open to submissions of prose, poetry, spoken word, and creative non-fiction (including life-writing).
This scheme is not suitable for applicants who are currently in education studying towards a creative writing related qualification.
Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
Writing East Midlands decisions will be based on a balance of factors:
• The literary quality of the work submitted
• The probability of publication by a bona fide publisher (Preference will therefore be shown to writers who are able to provide evidence of genuine publisher or agent interest in their work.)
• The need to encourage a range and diversity of new writing from the East Midlands
To Apply
Applications should include a sample of the work in question of up to 1500 consecutive words and a short one page synopsis. Please submit the beginning of your piece if you are submitting a novel or play etc. You can also submit a number of videos, or links to videos, to a maximum of 15 minutes, if you would like to submit spoken word. Please submit the work and synopsis on one document and please do not send additional attachments other than the 'Reasons for Applying' accompanying document.
For poetry please submit 6 poems, to a maximum of 60 lines per poem. Please submit all poems on one word document.
Please ensure that all references to your name or contact details are removed from both uploaded documents as submissions are read anonymously.
Please note your work will only be considered if it is submitted via this process.
Deadline for submissions: 18/10/19
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview and, should the applicant be successful, a mentor will be matched with an established writer. Other areas where Writing East Midlands can support the unsuccessful shortlisted applicants will be identified during the selection process.
The Writing East Midlands Mentoring Scheme is very popular and continues to attract an increasingly high number of submissions each year. Please note that the selection panel’s decision is final and the panel reserves the right not to enter into further correspondence about its decisions.
Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to offer individual feedback on submissions. However, in light of the growing popularity of the scheme, we’re pleased to offer a limited number of short critiques from one of our Writing School East Midlands tutors to applicants who show particular promise, but who have not been shortlisted for the mentoring scheme at this time.
We reserve the right to return work which would be unlikely at this stage to benefit from the Mentoring Scheme. We will only put forward writers in the East Midlands.
