I have a life mentor. He is not a writing mentor, but he can still dispense great wisdom in many areas. I used to mentor students in middle school. When I would show up to eat lunch with my mentee, his friends would ask, "why do you need a mentor?" Maturity didn't allow for him to have a good answer. He just knew I was a good friend who invested my time into his life. My answer would be, "we all need a mentor."
In a previous blog Wisdom vs Good Advice, I mentioned the word mentor. I needed to follow that up with the significance. I've spent 20 years working with parents and kids. My strongest advice for parents was to find a third voice in their kids' life (assuming there were two parents). Find a mentor who can speak life and wisdom to your children. Kids are heavily influenced by outside forces. Connecting them with a positive person who shares your values is a great way to influence their decisions and build character into their life.
The same goes for writing. I'm following a ton of blogs and how tos. I'm like a kid who is starving for wisdom and seeking a mentor to show me a good path. I do not have that one person who has been through the woods, gotten lost, and now knows the way. I am seeking and I know the value of having one.
Everyone needs a mentor. Whether you are scribbling out your first few sentences or on to your second book, we all need a mentor. Who is breathing wisdom into your life? Find someone who has been where you want to be and latch on. Openly confess, "I want to watch and learn." They will probably laugh in your face but a true mentor will do so in love and provide a closet full of wisdom on life or writing.
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