#WriteMentor 2020 Mentor-Mentee Pairings

Below are the 2020 #WriteMentor programme pairings. If your name is on this list, your mentor will contact you with further instructions of what they are offering you and how your mentoring is going to work.

One thing to please note, and all the mentors agreed, that being picked for the programme doesn’t mean those are the best manuscripts – in fact many weren’t picked because they were too polished and the mentor simply couldn’t improve it – it’s more that the mentor felt that particular manuscript was the one they could help the most.

It’s not a contest or a competition, so no winners or losers – this in an opportunity to give back to those, who the mentors believe, they can help. Not being on the list does not mean your story or writing are not outstanding or have great potential, it’s the annoying and often vague word ‘subjectivity’.

A reminder that if your name is not on the list below, we have #WMPitch tomorrow, so dust yourself off this evening, pour a glass of blue milk and get writing out those 3 pitches to impress our stellar agents tomorrow!

*Please note a couple of mentors had to pull out last minute, so if their name is not on the list, please respect their privacy and decision to withdraw.

Similarly, if you applied to a mentor, please do not email or DM or tweet to ask for feedback. A few have said they would email, but the default position should be not to expect it and if it comes, it’s a nice extra. I repeat, please do not contact mentors to ask for anything more please – I am concerned that these expectations create unease and guilt for mentors who don’t have the time to provide it. In fact, at least one mentor did not return this year for this reason.

We want to give to you, so, so much, but please don’t try to take. After all our mentors are all professional writers, who have volunteered time and effort to not only read a LOT of applications, but also mentor a writer (or two/three!) for 4 months of their lives, taking away from time with family and work and writing their next book, at a time when all those of those things have massively increased in important to us all.

Please remember to thank the mentors you applied to for reading and considering your work if you get a chance – general thanks to them all is also welcome on Twitter – they certainly deserve it.

Similarly, so do every one of you – not just for applying, but for supporting the programme and building the community. WM is more than the individuals who run it – it is more than what we offer and what we do – it is the people that make it special. The wonderfully kind, supportive and caring people who constantly cheer and congratulate (or commiserate) with each other, either on Twitter or on our courses etc.

Huge congratulations to everyone on the list! Tweets will follow, so head back onto Twitter.

And please, please celebrate if you wish to.