Mentoring Folks in Creative Writing

June 21, 2023 11:44 PM

I’m a professional creative writer and I want to help other people do creative writing. Are you someone who teaches people about creative writing in a volunteer capacity? If so, how did you get there?

I write prose and dialogue for a living. I have a lot of hours in writing fiction, professionally and personally (though I’ve never published any books or short stories; my published work is owned by the company I write it for). I like mentoring folks on my team, and I’d like to branch out.

I had some really formative experiences with grown-ups who encouraged my writing as a kid; I think it helped me get to where I am today. I want to do that for other people! So… How do you get into a position where you volunteer to help people learn/try/experiment with creative writing?

What kind of training should I have? Are there books I should read? If you have personal experience with this, how did it work out for you?

posted by motherofdog to Writing & Language (3 answers total)

Best answer: I co-sponsor a creative writing club that my middle school. It’s one of my favorite activities because the kids are so fun and kind and the environment is amazing! We meet every other week during the school year for two hours and start with a fun conversation question then share a prompt. Some kids work on current projects, some focus on the prompt (poem, story, song, dialogue, etc.) and others draw or offer supportive feedback to others. We sometimes critique people’s work, usually anonymously, and they are so caring but harsh haha. For this age, it’s about building community and encouraging connection, especially among young teens whose creativity makes them seem a bit weird to other classmates. The students already write or draw so it’s about supporting that habit and validating their efforts; for real, the few kids who don’t write much themselves contribute so much too with the vibe.

I think a library would be a great place to offer this. The staff can help you choose a target audience and create a program. Older teens and adults are different and fun. Groups of a variety of ages are cool! English learners could write in English and their native language/s while others can be inspired to try writing or reading in other languages. Etc. The possibilities are endless! I think you have a lot to offer and can facilitate a wonderful thing. My example is probably different than what you’d want but a sign it works well. We had initially a different aim but it all worked out with time.
posted by smorgasbord at 6:58 AM on June 22, 2023

Best answer: You might want to look into 826, a nonprofit started by David Eggers to help kids with writing. They have chapters in a lot of cities, but even if there isn't one near you, perhaps you can pick up some ideas from what they do.

Also, a lot of areas have programs to teach creative writing to people in prison. I know a few people who have volunteered doing that. Looks like PEN is involved in that and publishes a national list of prison-based writing programs.
posted by FencingGal at 7:12 AM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I kinda accidentally did this for a while. I founded a poetry chapbook series that ran for almost a decade, and it was volunteer-run, and most of the poets were publishing their first book. What I found was that it was generally good to meet in a comfortable environment, often a cafe, and chat at first generally, before getting into the text itself. In my experience, what helped the poets most was talking about the finer details, e.g. did they want to say “push a traffic cone over” or “flip a traffic cone over”, because that was the kind of reading they couldn’t get from friends and family.

It was an extremely satisfying experience, so I’d absolutely go for it if you have the opportunity.
posted by Kattullus at 11:11 AM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]