Having to use the word ‘deadline’ at Mentoring this week did inevitably provoke some groans. Some ‘oh nos.’ But being a writer (published or unpublished) inevitably involves creating and finishing work in a certain time-frame. Even if it’s a wide one!
My mentees are experiencing what in the world of I.T. they call ‘the full life cycle’ this year. We started at being, watching, free writing and rough drafting; we’re now approaching editing for potential publication in our anthology. And so much has gone on in the glorious weeks in-between!
At the moment I’m enjoying seeing the emergence of an ‘internal editor’ within them:
When during one-to-one feedback I suggest a word they’ve used may be a cliché, they chime in with ‘Yeah, I was wondering that…’ If I ask them to defend a line-break or indentation, they are unsurprised and sound as if they had already been asking themselves the same question.
And I know, from experience, that once it’s arrived, the internal editor will stay with them long after I’ve gone.
The young writers are at a point where we’ve shared ‘the nod’ – the ‘I think it’s finished. Yep, so do I’ nod, so I’m delighted to say it won’t be long before I can share some of their work with you.
In the meantime, here are some of them, combining three of their favourite things:
Time. Sunshine (well, shade). And writing.
Elaine Baker - Poet 