Mentoring

I work with writers one-to-one, offering guidance one short story at a time. In the capacity as an editor and a mentor, I have been proud to work on stories and books by authors including Nicole Flattery, Rebecca Ivory, Michael Magee, and Chetna Maroo – and many more brilliant writers, too.

Editing experience | Full bio

How a mentoring session works

Generally, it might go something like this: you send me a story; I read and re-read it multiple times, making copious notes and detailed annotations; then we have a phone call (90-120 minutes) and talk the hell out of the work, using the story as a springboard for a frank, exploratory conversation about what you’re seeking to do, what you’re actually doing, what you’re afraid of doing, what’s holding you back, and where you might go next. As we talk, I give my account of the story, and provide – where appropriate – editorial feedback on the technical facets, such as point of view, handling of time, story structure, sentence editing, character motivation, dialogue, creating action, conveying interiority etc. After the session, I send you my notes and annotations in a marked-up Word doc, along with relevant reading recommendations. Afterwards, I’ll be on hand for any follow-up questions or queries. If the process works for us both, we can go again, when you’re ready, with another story.

Before all this, we’ll likely have had an intro session where we discussed what you're working on, what you might like to work on, and what our sessions might involve. Sometimes the author is still feeling these things out, and that's all good and natural and all part of the conversation. 

That’s the general gist, but in my experience the path can sometimes change course and move us in unanticipated directions. I work intuitively and in response to what I think or feel each author, each story, needs. So I might ask you to redraft the story before a session; or we might end up rattling through quick successive drafts. Or I might just suggest you take a break from your current project and write something new entirely. At every point, you are fully welcome to tell me to piss off.

Is mentoring for you?

Whether you’ve been published before or not is mostly irrelevant to me, but if you feel you’re at an earlier stage in your writing (published or otherwise), I wouldn’t necessarily advise seeking this kind of mentorship. I really believe in the value of those early years of discovering one’s own way, and I’m conscious of getting in the way. At the same time, I also know that encouragement or a little guidance at the right moment can be utterly crucial. So, by all means, get in touch if it feels right – but I might just tell you to come back in a year’s time.

In my experience, the writers who benefit most from mentoring are:

i) those who have already shared their work with others in the past and are familiar with receiving feedback and critique

ii) those who haven’t done the above, but who have worked independently for a couple of years at least, have a small pile of stories, and maybe feel they’ve gone as far as they can go on their own

If you sense there’s too big a gap between what you know you're capable of achieving and what you're actually achieving on the page; or if it feels like you’re writing with one hand tied behind your back – that there are places in your writing you’re not getting to – I believe these sessions will help.

If I don’t think your work is quite yet ready to benefit from the process, or if I don’t think I’m the right reader for it, I will be honest (and hopefully tactful) with you from the start.

My approach

If you’re looking for a sense of how I approach things, the following articles/podcasts might be useful:

Notes on Rejection – I commissioned and edited a series of short essays reflecting on the experience of rejection, and wrote an introductory essay.

One Night Stands – I commissioned four writers (Marie-Helene Bertino, Rebecca Ivory, Stephen Sexton, Jon McGregor) to each write a story in a single night. Afterwards, I recorded a two-part podcast where I spoke to the authors about the process: Part 1 | Part 2.

Irish Times Interview – where I talk about the process of writing my second book, Open Up.

In Haste podcast – where we discuss the writing life and the making of Open Up.

Costs

At present, I work with authors independently (i.e. the writers pay me directly) and I also work with authors through programmes sponsored by state-funded initiatives, such as the National Mentoring Programme in Ireland. In some countries, writers can apply for bursaries to cover mentoring costs (e.g. Arts Council Ireland’s Agility Award; Arts Council England’s DYCP programme).

My rates are roughly aligned with the fees paid by Irish organisations such as The Stinging Fly, and I aim to be flexible for authors paying their own way.

Next steps

If you’re interested in receiving mentoring and would like to know more about the process, including my rates etc, you can drop me a short message below: