Round-up of Awards Posts by F&SF Writers, Editors, and Publishers for 2020

One of the things that sometimes comes up when talking to new writers is the question, “How do I acquire a mentor?” There’s a glazed and desperate look in the eyes of each querier, and sometimes a bit of professional jealousy, because occasionally we see people in positions where we’re not convinced they really should be, and an easy explanation is that a mentor’s personal pull helped get them there.

Well, maybe. But I don’t know that the kind of mentor people are envisioning really happens that often. They’re thinking of a wise, kindly figure who will guide their career through writing advice, secure them spots in anthologies and magazines, and make sure they appear on award ballots.

That’s pretty goddamn rare, and sometimes what one is attributing to the influence of a mentor is actually the writer’s hard work and talent for networking. And networking helps a lot — but it can’t substitute for enough skill to write at the professional level, at least in my opinion.

I do have people who have helped me along, and they’ve been great. I don’t think of any of them in this light, though. They’re people I can go to for the occasional sanity check or word of encouragement, sure. But are they out there sedulously working away on my behalf? No. They have their own careers to build, their own projects to promote, their own words to write.

You can’t just wait for a mentor to arrive. Or even just mail someone and say, “I want you to be my mentor.” You need to a) be writing and b) be getting yourself out there through publications, participation in social networks and message boards, and working with other people. One of the most valuable things I did for myself was agreeing to help edit Fantasy Magazine. Beside teaching me a ton, it brought me in contact with a number of people. I even got to hold a manuscript from Tanith Lee in my hands and email her how excited I was to be publishing something from her.

And take classes, for Pete’s sake. That’s one of the best ways to not just improve your craft, but do a little networking on the side. I tell my students to let me know when they publish something so I can spread it on social networks, although that’s a somewhat self-serving act – it helps me publicize my classes when I’m able to point to people getting published and take some smidgen of unwonted credit for it. 😉

Let’s say you do find a writer who’s further along in their career path than you are, and who seems to be amenable to providing you some guidance. What then? Well, be a good mentee and help them help you. Here are my suggestions for doing so.

• Be proactive. Don’t limply wait for a mentor to lift you up. A mentor is not an excuse to stop working on your own behalf. Do shit. Look for opportunities to get your name out there, just as you would without a mentor.
• Be responsive. Answer e-mails. Let them know what you’re up to. Don’t be one of those flakey writers who vanish for months and then reappear with daisies in their hair, acting as though they had never been gone. Don’t let suggestions slide by without acknowledgement.
• Be appreciative. Say thank you or acknowledge their efforts in other ways. They don’t have a quota of people they need to help each month. Every minute spent helping you is being taken from their own store of work time, and for all of us, that’s a valuable commodity.
• Listen. If your mentor suggests something, either do it or tell them why you’re not (and have a good rationale for that). (See also: Be responsive.)
• Be pleasant to work with. Save the cynical or curmudgeonly attitude for elsewhere, and don’t be a sad sack bemoaning your own lack of talent just so you can evoke reassurances. Positivity, cheerfulness, and good humor make for someone who’s pleasant to help – negativity, gloom, and humorlessness make it a discouraging, uphill battle.
• Be a good sport. A mentor has their own life. And they may have other people they’re helping. In fact, if they’re helping you, they probably do. Don’t act like a jealous sibling if they’re paying attention to someone else.
• Be a good citizen. It’s never too early to start paying it forward, to helping other new writers publicize their work. Volunteer to read slush or help staff tables at a convention. One of the best ways to promote yourself is by promoting other people, even though that may seem paradoxical.

Enjoy this advice on writing mentors and want more content like it? Check out the classes Cat gives via the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers, which offers both on-demand and live online writing classes for fantasy and science fiction writers from Cat and other authors, including Ann Leckie, Seanan McGuire, Fran Wilde and other talents! All classes include three free slots.

Prefer to opt for weekly interaction, advice, opportunities to ask questions, and access to the Chez Rambo Discord community and critique group? Check out Cat’s Patreon. Or sample her writing here.

More links from the Blogging 101 class, this time dealing with Facebook and Twitter.

Mentioned in class:
Facebook news ““ allfacebook.com
How to Stop Facebook from Posting Recent Activity to the News Feed – http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-recent-activity-2010-01

Useful:
7 Things Facebook Should Do To Increase Security: http://mashable.com/2011/07/19/facebook-security/
How to Avoid a Facebook Photo Tagging Disaster – http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-photo-tagging-2009-12
How to Fix Facebook’s Sidebar Chat: http://www.allfacebook.com/how-to-fix-facebooks-sidebar-chat-2011-07
How to Manage Your Facebook Relationships with Friends Lists – http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-friend-lists-2009-05
How to Optimize Your Brand’s Facebook Page for Search Engines: http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/04/optimize-your-brands-facebook-page-for-search-engines.php
More Americans Are on Facebook Than Have a Passport: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/22/more-americans-are-on-facebook-than-have-a-passport/
Why You Need Facebook’s Like Button on Your Site: http://www.allfacebook.com/why-you-need-facebooks-like-buttons-on-your-site-2011-03

TWITTER RESOURCES

Mentioned in class:
Hashtags: http://www.hashtag.org
Backing up Tweets: http://tweetake.com/
Metrics: http://twitter-friends.com
Schedule updates: http://twuffer.com/
Share pictures: http://www.twitpic.com

Useful:
Are Twitter Chats Part of Your Social Media Strategy?: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/twitter-chats/
Are You Extending Your Tweets? Then You’re Missing The Point: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/are-you-extending-your-tweets-then-youre-missing-the-point_b7659
Documentary about Twitter: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/a-documentary-about-twitter-staffed-by-twitter-users-and-crowdsourced-on-twitter_b8950
Happy Fifth Birthday, Twitter: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/happy-fifth-birthday-twitter-congrats-on-your-600k-new-users-who-signed-up-yesterday_b11567
How to Boost Your Google Rank with Twitter: http://oneforty.com/blog/how-to-boost-your-google-rank-with-twitter/
How to Join a Twitter Hashtag Chat: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/how-to-join-a-twitter-hashtag-chat_b1650
Secrets to Getting 50,000 Followers on Twitter: http://www.webinknow.com/2011/02/the-secret-to-getting-50000-followers-on-twitter.html
Three Tips for Writing a Killer Twitter Bio to Get Targeted Followers : http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/3-tips-for-writing-a-killer-twitter-bio-to-get-targeted-followers_b133
Top 10 Twitter Tools for WordPress Blogs (2010): http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/top-10-twitter-tools-for-wordpress-blogs_b40
Tweeting Often and On Weekends is More Effective: http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/03/tweeting-often-and-on-weekends.php
Twitter 101: Why Use Hashtags?: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/twitter-101-why-use-hashtags_b2571
What to Do (And What Not To Do) If You Regret a Tweet: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/what-to-do-and-what-not-to-do-if-you-regret-a-tweet_b4327
What Twitter’s Good At, In Light of Google+: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/what-twitters-good-at-in-light-of-google-plus/241791/
What’s In a Name: Twitter Was Almost Called Jitter or Twitch: http://techland.time.com/2011/07/18/whats-in-a-name-twitter-was-almost-called-jitter-or-twitch/
Why Favstar.fm Should Be Part of Your Twitter Strategy: http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/favstar-fm-twitter-strategy_b3848
Why Google+ Won’t “Kill” Twitter: http://techland.time.com/2011/07/13/why-google-wont-kill-twitter/
Why Some Twitter Hashtags Take Off and Others Fail:
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/why-some-hashtags-take-off-and-others-fail_b3003
Why You Can’t Ignore Your Twitter Background: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/why-you-cant-ignore-your-twitter-background_b3414
Why You Need to Create a Tweet Schedule: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/why-you-need-to-create-a-tweet-schedule-now_b1514
5 Reasons Why You Should Be on Twitter Even If You’re Already on Facebook: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-reasons-why-you-should-be-on-twitter-even-if-youre-already-on-facebook_b3012
5 Twitter Metrics Beyond Follower Count: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-twitter-metrics-beyond-follower-count_b4312
5 Ways to Stand Out on Twitter: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-ways-to-stand-out-on-twitter_b2504
14 Tools of Highly Effective Twitter Users (2010): http://hyder.me/social-media/14-tools-of-highly-effective-twitter-users/

Effective Use of Twitter for Promotion
5 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter: http://www.copyblogger.com/go-viral-on-twitter/
Radio Shack’s Twitter Campaign: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/an-anatomy-of-a-great-twitter-campaign-radio-shacks-ifihadsuperpowers-promoted-trend_b93