Mentoring:
Over the course of being on the graduate faculty of the Low Residency MFA in Writing Program at Spalding University in Louisville, KY since 2001, I have done one-on-one mentoring of over 100 students in fiction and creative nonfiction. These mentor relationships typically have extended over a 6-month period, with an exchange of 5 packets of creative writing and critical literary essays which I read closely and critique extensively with observations both big picture and detailed, depending on where a work of writing is in terms of its stages of development. Many of the students I’ve worked with have gone on to publish in a variety of forms.
If you are interested in finding out more about the MFA in Writing Program – 10-day residencies, prior to mentoring periods, are in Nov. and May, with summer residencies abroad in June or July – contact Karen Mann, administrative director, Kmann@spalding.edu, or check out the Spalding MFA website.
I am also available for independent mentoring for writers working in short fiction or the novel, and in personal essay, narrative nonfiction, literary journalism, and memoir.
Once you’ve contacted me, and I’ve assessed your literary wants and needs, we’ll come up with a plan that’s right for you, and discuss fees. I work through e-mail, phone call, Skype and Google plus, tailored to your needs, and am also available for in-person consultation.
Some of what I feel especially attuned to in one-on-one relationships:
- For writers early on in their literary journey: how to get going creatively, where to find inspiration, what subject matter seems resonant for you, exploring the first-person voice, the third-person voice, working in short-form, in long-form, strategies for revision, moving a work from first draft to middle draft to finished copy, general advice on possible outlets for your work.
- For advanced writers, including those with book projects underway: an assessment of your manuscript, a game plan we’ll come up with about how to complete the writing and revision of your work, looking at individual chapters and how they fit together in the overall composition, big picture editing, small-bore editing (though I’m not a copyeditor), and helping you do the best you can to make your manuscript sing.
Speechwriting and Executive Communications:
In the course of my writing career I’ve written hundreds of speeches for an array of executives, including: a state governor, a university president, a broadcast executive, a broadcast journalist, the CEO of a financial institution. I’ve helped script panelists at conferences, worked on annual reports, and consulted with leaders of organizations trying to find the language to tell their stories. Who’s your audience? What’s your persona? What’s your message and how can you best get it across in a way that’s engaging, entertaining, informative and clear? We’ll work up a strategy that’s right for you.
Once you’ve contacted me, and I’ve assessed your communications needs, we’ll come up with a plan and discuss fees. I work through e-mail, phone call, Skype and Google plus, and am also available for in-person consultation.