Mentor Me: Instruction and Advice for Aspiring Writers

This guide provides instruction and advice for aspiring writers in the following areas: Creative Coaching; Poetry; Songwriting; Screenwriting; Musical Theatre.
​It contains hundreds of pages of interviews from acclaimed writers and mentors as well as self-authored essays from industry experts. In each section there is also a concluding piece called "Mentor Me: An Inside View", which is an overview of the process of one-on-one mentoring sessions, including the "before and after", the first and final drafts of a poem, song, or screenplay.

Topics include:

Creative Coaching
Advice: Following intuition, living courageously, telling your own story, writer’s block, daily writing rituals, fostering creativity at any age or stage in life
Instruction: Uncovering Your Values, Exploring Your Dreams, Taking Action
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Poetry
Advice: Developing your craft, opportunities and challenges in publishing today, working with a mentor
Spotlight: Interviews and original poetry of aspiring poets
Instruction: Erase, Expand, Escape writing technique (the process and sample first and final drafts of a poem)
Songwriting
Advice: Developing your craft, opportunities and challenges in the music industry today, collaboration, the role of an artist manager, maximizing your voice and your potential, composing for television and film
Spotlight: Interviews with aspiring singer-songwriters
Instruction: Co-Writing, The Live Show (the Key to Success), Your Music (Hobby or Business), Lyric Writing (the process and sample first and final drafts of song lyrics)
Screenwriting
Advice: Challenges of becoming a professional screenwriter, stages of a pitch meeting, the role of a talent manager, importance of story structure
Spotlight: Interviews with aspiring screenwriters
Instruction: Skill Development and Collaboration in Filmmaking, Funding and Distributing your Film, Screenwriting (the process and sample first and final drafts of a short film screenplay)
Musical Theatre
Advice: Collaboration, challenges of writing and producing a new musical
Instruction: From Page to Stage – Getting Your Show Produced, Collaboration, Creating a Demo (the process of working with a co-writer, vocalist, and producer, and a sample medley)

Contributors (in addition to the book's editor, Heidi Stock):

Creative Coaching - Patricia Pearson, Laurie Wagner, Chris Kay Fraser, Allyson Latta, Kelly McNelis, Janice Cunning

Poetry - Catherine Graham, Shannon Bramer, Catherine Owen, Stuart Ross, George Elliott Clarke, Ana Rodriguez Machado, Nora Grove, Jill Talbot, Natalia Darie, Whitney Sweet, Isabella de Almeida Aidar, James Hinds, Chloë Catán, Basia Gilas, Marina Black

Songwriting – Luba, Lesley Pike, Luther Mallory, Katie Rox, Melanie Durrant, Theo Tams, Amir Brandon, Elias James, Rebekah Stevens, Maurice Laurin, Ryan Luchuck, Daniel Ingram, Juliette Jagger

Screenwriting - Geneviève Appleton, Maureen Dorey, Elise Cousineau, Bryce Mitchell, Navin Ramaswaran, Amanda Clarke, Wendy Chan, Dawn Prato, Stefan Cap, Stephanie Palmer, Perry Zimel, Diane Drake, Stéphanie Joalland

Musical Theatre - Landon Braverman, Joseph Trefler, Michael Rubinoff, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Susan Dunstan, Elise Dewsberry, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Louise Pitre, Robyn Hoja, Julian Troiano, Murray Foster, Marion Abbott