Through Author Mentor Match, I got a knowledgeable mentor, a revised manuscript, and insight to take with me as I work on future manuscripts. But there is one thing I got that I didn’t expect, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the program…
A community!
I know, it sounds kinda lame and cliché, but it’s totally true.
On the night of the announcements, the mentees were send a Slack invitation. I joined, we introduced ourselves, we celebrated, and I had no idea we were about to become a tight knit writing family.
We started going through the process of revisions together, being able to share the struggles and the burnout. This was essential to helping me get through revisions, because, as I mentioned in the other blogs, it was tough! Without a support system, I would have felt alone in the process. Maybe even like a failure. But seeing that it was difficult for everyone was super helpful.
This goes for querying, too. Everyone’s process and speed with revisions were different, but I started querying around the same time as a few others. I’ve gotten a few rejections, but seeing that other mentees are getting just as many rejections as me makes me feel less alone. It also ensured my book isn’t dying in the trenches (yet), but it’s going through a normal querying process.
And just having a shoulder to cry on has been nice.
On top of that, we’ve met on Zoom (including making PowerPoint slides to show off our AMM books, which was super fun), have done Netflix movie nights, created aesthetics and picrew’s for each other, and did a MenTEA exchange (yep, we exchanged tea).
But you don’t have to get accepted into a mentorship program to find your people. There are PLENTY of writing groups you can join!
My number one tip: join them. If you’re able to hop into a writer’s Discord or Slack chat, join as many as you want and see if any of them click with you. You can find them through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or even in your local community.
This industry is brutal, and writing is lonely, but there are communities out there that make it so much easier. Even if my AMM book doesn’t get agented, I will always have a great group of writing friends, and that alone is a prize in itself.
