Venturing into the brave new world of creative mentoring

Forgive me, it has been a couple of months since my last confession. Writers' block has been intermittently dominating large chunks of my year past. Stretches of angst about my choices in point of view (PoV) characters has been the primary cause of these long pauses. Over the last few weeks, though, I have been inspired by something unexpected and new. Something that has delighted me so much that I now almost feel I don't need the road trip I had planned to help me unblock.

I will still take that long drive (several thousand kilometres) soon to clear my noisy mind, walk those hikes to breath taking places off the road less travelled, and fill the balance of my days and evenings reading a good book or several, journaling, and tapping away at the keyboard of my trusty laptop. The drafting of the latest manuscript, the third and final part of the Peitho trilogy, has been more challenging than my previous novels, partly because the second part of the series took me into existential dread as a larger span of time spent drafting that earlier work was during pandemic-related lockdowns. Climbing out of that dark landscape, to lift the mood in this final part, when half the PoV characters are filled with so much regret about their earlier choices, has proven to be harder than I thought. 

Until now.

I recently discussed with one of my mentees, participating in one of several mentoring programs I have sponsored for many years in my (other) non-writing career, taking them on beyond the duration of the program. They asked if I could help them with creative mentoring. They are already established in one artistic (non-verbal) vocation and want some guidance on how to approach building their skills and finding their own writing voice. In theory, they could be categorised as an emerging new writer. In practice, I think this mentee seems genuinely interested in learning more about themselves and their surrounding world. It is a beautiful thing to see that wonder in them.

I was initially reticent about taking on this gig. Of the many dozens of people that I have mentored with career advice in various programs - every sort from high school students trying to figure out what their vocation might be to CEOs freshly appointed to the public service wanting to understand how government works - I can count on one hand the mentees who embraced both of my two great passions - public policy and creative writing. Don't get me wrong, a connection for a productive exchange nearly always formed in these mentoring relationships - I seem to have some preternatural knack for guiding others, illuminating paths to help them with the questions they have. Just few and far between among those mentees have gotten "my all".

In truth, my blog name - Transition Girl - has its origins in a nickname my closest friends coined for me. An alter-ego version of that girl even found its way onto the page as a lead character in one of my novels. They called me that because (apparently) I am the ONE they always seemed to seek out - to help them figure out life's choices - which sliding door to walk through - the stepping-stone that gave them support and a leg-up towards their next big thing. I am, and have always been, this weird combination of uber-inquisitive pattern illuminator with passionate non-bias.  I know, it sounds impossible, but I become a pig in mud when given wicked problems to think about. It's a key reason why speculative fiction is my novel writing genre of choice - the ethical dilemmas I can explore with abandon are infinite. It's probably also why mentoring has been such a good fit for me - it harnesses that skill.

This mentee who has asked for a little more has a certain quality. Someone else who also has the career and creative inspiration combo in their DNA. After that ever so brief early doubt, my inner voice resumed normal transmission - "why not?" it demanded then added, "their vocational interest (both career and creative) is something you want to learn more about - it could be a mutually beneficial exchange." My inner voice is rarely that eloquent. I'm translating the grunts and gut feelings of the chaos demon that ebbs and flows within me.

And so, we have begun.

Our exchanges and discussions over the last few weeks have been a revelation. I haven't connected this strongly and this quickly with any mentee ever before. The Universe has a serendipitous way of bonding things - right people, right place, right time - it just is as if it was always meant to be. It probably helps that this mentee reminds me so much of a close friend. I can only hope I inspire them as much as they have been inspiring me in our conversations.

On the practical side of the mentoring ledger, it has been a delight to be able to share my creative writing insights with someone beginning their learning journey. It's an honour to be given such an opportunity to guide them to discover their lyrical voice. 

On the personal side, they have been willing to share artistic recommendations and their own compositions in their chosen creative vocation that not only highlight their extraordinary talent but have also ignited my minds-eye with so many vivid images from being enlivened by their art. 

I am inspired. Beyond measure.

I feel my recent writer's block melting away. The PoV dilemmas that have plagued me for much of this year past are dispersing as sunshine lifts a morning fog to reveal a perfect blue-sky day.

It wouldn't be my blog if I did not include something cheesy, so I'll finish today with this quote. Driving yesterday, a song I liked from a while ago came through my Spotify app - Comedown - Remastered • Bush (spotify.com) - while most of the song is not really relevant to this story, two lines in it always resonate and release optimism inside me like a tender embrace:

"I don't wanna come back down from this cloud,

it's taken me all this time to find out what I need." 

Who would have thought conversations unexpected and new with a kindred-spirit mentee would help me to soar?