Treat Every Person as a Mentor

By C. Hope Clark

I read that phrase in a blog this week. It wasn’t the major point of the message, but it was the piece that caught my attention.

 
It’s human nature for us to compare ourselves, our talents, our looks, to those around us. We catch ourselves being smug as we recognize poor writing on a cheap website. Or we feel demoralized as an opening hook in a story puts ours to shame.

 
But what if we quit making comparisons and started seeking the take-away value of everyone in our writing path?

One reader placed me on her newsletter list. Her voice was clean, her message multi-layered and intellectually challenging. She shamelessly tackled social issues in her region, often recommending action others wouldn’t have the guts to stand up and endorse. Months later I learned she
lived on a fixed income in a trailer, struggling to make ends meet.

I know another lady who lost her job and opened a writers’ retreat. I purchase articles from writers for FundsforWriters, and many of them amaze me with their knowledge. A new writer can teach you how to be daring and disregard some of the old rules we think we can’t break. An established writer can show us the ropes.

 
As my sons grew up, as they compared themselves to their peers as all boys do, I told them that all of us have the same amount of talent. Imagine me holding my hands in a bowl fashion, as if holding that talent.
Some people use all their talent in one area, becoming gifted, even genius. They might perform their talent without effort, but they can’t balance a checkbook, keep a job or find a  girlfriend. Then there are others who distribute their talents across the realm, spreading it out and becoming
known as a Jack-of-all-trades. They perform decently at almost everything they touch, but aren’t exceptional at anything. Then there are all those in between, utilizing their bowls of talent in different directions and venues.
My point is that everyone is talented. No one can be grand at everything, meaning they have shortfalls and assets. That writer who critiqued your work might get under your skin, but a night’s sleep might make you
realize she was right on your page two. It doesn’t matter if she’s published, where she’s published or whether she’s self-published. Her voice deserves to be heard.

 
That editor who declines your work and makes a suggestion might not understand the point of your story, but he might have a firm grasp of marketing to his readership. He isn’t wrong because his opinion isn’t yours.

Everyone you run into has something to offer you as a writer, as a person. In them you find your best stories, and your best opportunities.

 

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C. Hope Clark is editor of FundsforWriters.com, an award-winning newsletter family that reaches 31,000 writers.