Do You Have a Freelance Writing Mentor?

Image from thinktalk.com

When I first started freelance writing, I was flying solo. I dabbled here and there. I Googled things and just kind of felt my way along in the dark. Surprisingly, this turned out to be a not-too-rocky start for my freelancing career.

I was fortunate in that a decade or so earlier I had done some writing for clients while I was still active in Emergency Services. This little bit of background allowed me to have some sense of what it takes to make it in the freelance writing world. At that time, I was writing magazine articles, textbook components and educational materials primarily. Those experiences gave me some foundation I was able to use later in life.

Initially I was able to land a few writing gigs for places like Examiner and Business.com. They were good for me in that I was able to get my name out there and practice my writing chops. As I grew, I became more aware of some folks who seemed to be doing quite well in the freelance writing arena. I made the conscious decision to subscribe to their blogs and to engage a few of them. Universally I found folks willing to offer advice in a manner that was both warm and generous. Which brings me to the initial question of having a mentor. Yes I do. Several, in fact. So this kind of leads to defining what exactly a mentor is, doesn’t it?

Mentor-vs-Guru

I find it interesting that Gurus are almost always self proclaimed while Mentors more often seem to fall haphazardly into the role. A Mentor is someone who may or may not see themselves as a teacher, though they may have “students” who see them that way exactly. A Guru has followers who believe they will be guided and shown the path. A Mentor does what they do because it is what they do, and their students learn by the actions of the Mentor.

As is often the case I believe, I never actively sought a Mentor. I kind of found someone who’s work I admired and I made a conscious decision to emulate them. The great thing about this is that through this conscious effort, I have learned a great deal about the craft of writing. I’ve also learned about freelancing in general and what to either do or (more importantly) not do to further my freelance writing career.

I’m not saying a Mentor is an absolute necessity to further a freelance writing career. Lots of folks will do just fine on their own, thank-you-very-much. My recommendation is that you take a look around and seriously consider whether you could benefit from the knowledge and expertise of someone in your writing circle. As well, if you think you may benefit and that person is not in your writing circle, bring them in somehow. Sometimes a personal and heartfelt email works wonders.

What about you? Do you have someone you consider a mentor? How did you meet them and how valuable has the experience been for you?