Mentorships
Writing can be a lonely occupation. In the privacy of your study, perched precariously between all of the other demands in your life, it’s easy to lose heart, or faith, in yourself or your work. If it is the first time you have attempted a book-length work, it can be hard to know where to start … or how to finish.
We are great believers in the mentorship model. It is more personal and intense than a university course or workshop, and, we believe, usually much more effective. Our goal in providing a personal mentorship program is to support you in finding ways to complete your project and continue to improve your writing that are particular to your writing needs.
A mentorship is about you, your work, and your dreams as writer.
A skillful mentor who respects your intentions can see things you cannot and help you to achieve the full potential of your work. It can be a challenging but often exhilarating working relationship, during which you make far more rapid progress than you would if you stumbled along by yourself.
Our mentorships are based around a fortnightly submission cycle of up to 5000 words. Your mentor will read your work and prepare detailed feedback within a fortnight of receiving your work. If you leave near Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast, you can also meet with your mentor regularly to discuss your progress. This option is available by phone for those farther afield, or by email if you prefer.
Where do we begin?
The first step is to contact Inga, by email, at: inga@olvarwood.com.au
We’ll send you some information and a form to fill out detailing your skills, experience, resources and dreams.
Once you’ve supplied us with details about your current writing practices, as well as some samples of your work, we’ll contact you to set up a meeting/phone call. The initial meeting is an opportunity for you to ask questions, to make suggestions, to ask for what you need and for us both to see whether we’re a ‘good fit’.
The first meeting is obligation free, and (if in person) coffee is on us.
Mentorship agreement
Shortly after the first meeting, we will email you a draft mentorship agreement, which will include a clear statement of the mentorship’s goals, your responsibilities as the writer, and the mentor’s responsibilities. We’ll work at finetuning this agreement as the foundation of a mutually-agreeable professional relationship between you and your mentor designed to help you achieve a set of clearly-defined, realistic outcomes within the timeframe.
Feedback
The feedback you will receive depends a great deal on where you are as a writer, your strengths and weaknesses, and the nature of the project. It will range from structural/big picture issues, right down to to grammar and punctuation. It will usually cover the basics of plot, character, setting, dialogue and so on, as well as style and voice – and how all of these things work together to tell your story. If there are particular areas – say writing dialogue or action scenes – that you wish to work on, your mentor can tailor additional material and exercises to suit. Feedback and discussion can also include tips on writing practice, planning and self-editing, and preparing work for submission. It will usually include suggestions for further reading, research, and potential markets for your work.
The aim of the feedback is to be as honest and constructive as possible, explaining what is working well and what could be improved, using practical examples and suggestions, and equipping you with the skills not only to complete your project to its full potential – but to continue to develop as a writer.
Rates
Rates for our mentorships are based on two hours per week of the mentor’s time.
- Three months: $1250.00
- Six Months: $2400.00
- Year-long: $4000.00
- Short term residential mentorships: standard weekend ($275.00 + accommodation), standard week-long ($680.00 + accommodation). Custom and group packages are also available. Accommodation is booked and paid for separately.
Although we believe a fortnightly feedback cycle is optimum for keeping you and your mentor actively engaged with your writing, mentorship delivery is flexible, with the cost based on the mentor’s time/words submitted rather than time elapsed. You can choose, for example, to spread your mentorship out over a longer period if you need to take a break for any reason, or have limited time to spend on your writing.
