by Edwina Perkins @EdwinaPerkins
At my first conference, when someone asked about my elevator pitcher, I couldn’t figure out what an elevator had to do with writing. I quickly learned writers speak a foreign language! I went to the first timers meeting ready to take notes and gather all the information I would need to be a successful new writer. I learn what NOT to do when interacting with faculty and during one-on-one appointments. I memorized the list. Imagine my horror when my day ended, and I had broken every one of the no-nos.
I wonder how different my experience would have been if I’d had a mentor to help me through the obstacles. Someone to guide me through the process before I arrived, even to answer questions I didn’t know I needed to ask.
BRMCWC is adding to their first-time conferee program (and returning conferees) by offering the opportunity for one-on-one mentoring before arrival on campus. We are calling it Mentoring Moments.
There are two exciting components to this program!
First, you’ll have an opportunity to engage with faculty who have agreed to mentor conferees for one hour at the cost of $70.00, which is paid directly to the faculty member. They are willing to mentor in the areas of how to help first timers prepare, how to meet with an editor/agent, how to prepare a one sheet, proposal, or synopsis. Some are offering their services to review what you’re prepared and offer feedback.
Second, starting February 17th, there will be a bi-monthly Facebook live Mentoring Moments. A list of mentors will be provided at that time and an explanation of how the mentoring is to take place. Mentors will meet only once for the cost of $70.00 for an hour session. Some of the topics to be covered with FB live are, why every writer needs a mentor, how to prepare for a writer’s conference, how to make the most out of a writer’s conference, how to face your fears, what to bring, and so much more!
This is an opportunity to help you be the best you can be with preparation tips and mentoring before the conference. If you want to take your writing and your professionalism as a writer to the next lever, then join us through Mentoring Moments.
See you February 17 at 6:00 CST on our Facebook Group Page : https://www.facebook.com/groups/BRMCWCwriters/ If you don’t already belong to the group, simply request to join.
Edwina Perkins is an award-winning writer, experienced teacher, speaker, and free-lance editor. She served on the Word Weavers Orlando Leadership Team and now is a part of the Word Weavers International Advisory Committee. She worked as a content editor with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and is currently the Managing Editor for Harambee Press—LPC’s ethnic voices imprint which seeks to publish ethnic writers.
She is a wife, mother of four adult children, grandmother of two.
The Conversation
What a great opportunity!
This is such a fantastic idea!
When you are first starting out writing there there is SO much to learn and so much you don’t even know you need to learn. Having mentoring options to better equip you to make the most of something like a writers conference is such a practical and useful idea.