Giving Back by DiAnn Mills

Writers are in the business of learning all they can about their craft. We attend conferences and learn from those who are successful. Our personal libraries contain the how-to books as well as books from our favorite authors’ both we study. We labor over our manuscripts while aiming for perfection. The publishing world is not for the fainthearted and to survive, we must keep adding to our arsenal of skills.

Writers never fully understand how some are blessed with publication and others struggle to have their work read by agents and editors, and I have no desire to debate the hows and whys. My point is simple: To be blessed, one must be a blessing to others.

Did a more successful writer ever take you under her wing? Did she teach you technique and edit your work? Did she challenge you to write stronger? Did she make you cry and then encourage you to keep writing? If you were fortunate to have a mentor who loved you enough not to let you write garbage and push you to twist a phrase into something powerful, then you are a blessed writer. Not everyone has that special person.

Some writers are willing to help a fledging writer who is committed to hard work and developing the craft. Those people make time to ensure another writer rises to publication. A true mentor gives freely without thought of reward, recognition, or even letting others know of the sacrifice. The process builds character, and that’s not a bad swap in the mentoring process. During the process, the mentor might just find her own life bubbles over with unexpected blessings.