Need a mentor? You may be able to get my services for free through TWUC
Available to one writer for a limited time only
Image description: a page of text, marked up in red and a thick, red marker. TEXT: FREE MENTORSHIP SERVICES/AMANDA EARL: care, whimsy, exploration. Deadline: October 10, 2024. Queries: amanda@amandaearl.com
I will give priority to women and non-binary writer who is D/deaf, disabled, BIPOC, LGBTQ.
Dear Fellow Writers,
If you wish to receive free assistance with your writing, you can hire me through the TWUC’s Mentorship Microgrants program. TWUC is Canada’s organization of professionally published writers. “TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. Now over 2,800 members strong, TWUC advocates on behalf of writers’ collective interests, and delivers value to members through advocacy, community, and information. TWUC believes in a thriving, diverse Canadian culture that values and supports writers.”
To qualify for the free mentorship, you must be a Canadian Citizen. I can make only one application, so please respond quickly to take advantage of this annual opportunity.
Please let me know as soon as possible if you’d like to work with me, and I’ll start the application process. Note that the mentorship project can be for either the craft or the business of writing. I can review part of your manuscript, guide you in your research, or I can give you ideas about how to write query letters and pitches, provide you with information about the CanLit small press publishing industry, touring and event organization, grant opportunities and more. This is ten-hours of free assistance to emerging writers and writers who wish to work in disciplines that are new to them. I can offer services for poetry, visual poetry, fiction, nonfiction and hybrid work.
From TWUC: “These grants are designed to support a strong, sustainable writing community while providing direct financial and professional assistance to members.
This program will assist writers in improving their own income-earning opportunities by developing craft and business skills. The Union will provide up to 80 member applicants with a $500 grant that can be used to:
Provide you with payment to mentor another writer, or
Allow you to pay another writer for mentoring.
Apply Now: portal.writersunion.ca/mentorship-microgrants (login required).
Application Deadline: October 14, 2024WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Author Eligibility
The applicant must be a current TWUC member and may apply for funding as a mentor or mentee. The mentorship partner may be a member or non-member, must be a writer, and a resident or citizen of Canada. Mentors and mentees must be 18 years of age or older and cannot be members of the same family. In order to benefit as many writers as possible, each member is limited to one application as either mentor or mentee.
Tip: TWUC's Mentorship Microgrants program can provide non-member mentee participants with one point toward membership eligibility through the Extended Application process. Visit writersunion.ca/become-a-member for details.
MENTORSHIP FORMAT
The mentorship can focus on:
The craft of writing (reviewing part of a manuscript, working on plot development, research skills, etc.), or
The business of writing (presentation skills, digital skills, business plan, marketing, etc.).
We suggest that the mentorship be approximately 10 hours in length but it is up to each mentor and mentee to agree on the exact nature and length of their mentorship. Mentorships must be coordinated directly between each mentor and mentee, and conducted remotely (through email, video meetings, and/or phone conversations). Mentorships must be completed by March 1, 2025.
Find a Mentorship Partner
While you may already have a writer you wish to reach out to for this program, you can also browse the Union’s Member Directory to seek a mentorship partner. There are two ways to contact members:
Use the Member Directory to check the author’s profile for an email address.
Send an email to the author care of The Writers’ Union of Canada to info@writersunion.ca.
Author contact information is intended for professional purposes only. Please respect authors’ privacy.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Before applying, you must confirm participation with the mentor or mentee.
Your application will include basic details about the mentorship, including:
Contact information for both mentor and mentee;
Nature of the mentorship (craft or business);
Brief description of the mentorship project and expected outcome.
EQUITY INITIATIVE
As part of the Union's Equity Implementation Plan, a portion of funding will be allocated to applications for mentorship where the mentor or mentee identifies as Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQI2S, or living with a disability. In addition, applications from writers who have not previously participated in the program will be prioritized.
KEY DATES
Application Deadline: October 14, 2024
Notification of Results: Late October 2024
Final Report Portal Opens: December 1, 2024
Final Report Deadline: March 1, 2025
Funds Distributed: Upon submission of a final report
Please note: The portal for final reports opens on December 1, 2024. No payments will be issued prior to December 1, 2024.”
Please message me here or contact me at amanda@amandaearl.com ASAP, if you’d like to be my mentee.
Thanks to the Writers Union of Canada for its great work. TWUC is also defending authors’ rights to copyright, something I really appreciate and champion.