Mindful Mentoring
10% of my mentoring income goes to the St Mungo’s charity in the UK that helps people who are homeless and sleeping on the streets.
I work with writers of fiction and creative non-fiction to help them develop ideas, turn those ideas into stories, and edit those stories to make them publishable. I will also bring the ethos and ideas behind The Mindful Writer to your practice to help you connect more deeply to your work and focus on the art and craft of writing.
Whether you’re writing a novel or novella, short stories or memoir, I can work with you to take your writing to the next level so that it means more to you as you write it, and resonates more deeply with the readers it reaches.
I wholeheartedly urge anyone who is interested in understanding, improving and refining their writing to take advantage of the mentoring sessions offered by Amanda. Not only does she give valuable advice about the nuts-and-bolts of storytelling, she digs so much deeper into what your story is about, exposing what is missing but also revealing hidden layers to be explored, helping you craft stories with depth which are meaningful and memorable.
The mentoring I have received has enabled me to not only find the heart of the stories we have looked at together, but also to apply Amanda’s insightful observations, ideas and mindful approach to my rewrites and new writing, and the difference is incredible. - Sally Curtis
Why work with me?
As an indie publisher at my creative venture, Retreat West, from 2018-2023 I published 24 books. These were novels, memoirs, short story collections and anthologies. Retreat West Books won the 2020 Most Innovative Publisher Prize at the Saboteur Awards and many of the books I published were commended, listed and won awards.
I have been designing and teaching online creative writing courses, and live workshops, for many years and I’ve worked as an editor on hundreds of manuscripts. I’m passionate about helping writers get to the heart of their characters to create memorable narrators that really come alive for the reader. I also help writers who hate plotting to create story outlines that still allow them the freedom to discover as they write.
I’m also a writer myself and the author of two novels, As If I Were A River (2016), which was longlisted for the Guardian Not The Booker Prize, a NetGalley Top 10 Book of the Month and a Book Magnet Blog Top 20 Book of 2016 and Remember Tomorrow (2019). My short stories have been widely published, listed and placed in many international prizes and were nominated for Best Small Fictions 2023. I’ve just completed a novella-in-flash, have almost finished a flash fiction collection, and I’m now working on my third novel.
So I bring experience of both sides of the publishing world to you and your words.
How does the mentoring work?
Each mentoring session includes the following:
Zoom catch-up
We will have a 1-hour Zoom meeting to:
Discuss and develop your ideas
Go over the work you’ve sent me for review
Look at how story works and recommendations on ways to take it all to the next level
Set goals and next steps aligned with your hopes
As a learning tool, I’ll recommend stories and/or novels to study that are aligned with your hopes for your work
Editorial input
I will review a story (or stories) or extract from a longer piece up to 3,000 words in total to help you:
Find the emotional core of your story
Bring characters to life and deliver emotional resonance
Ensure the structure is working and you’re telling it from the best point of view
Look at your sentences and words and show you ways to make them shine
How much does it cost?
Book one session for £100 or book multiple sessions for a discounted rate. Once I have received your payment, I will be in touch to arrange the Zoom session and let you know when to deliver your work to me by. I look forward to working with you! The sessions can be spread out over two to six months.
If you are a paid subscriber to The Mindful Writer you get a 10% discount on these fees. Contact me before booking and I will give you the discount code.
What writers who’ve worked with me have said
Amanda gives very insightful observations, asks just the right questions, and always has encouraging suggestions to keep me going. I’m particularly grateful to her for showing me that organization is not only the key but the entry to writing with confidence. - Annie Bien
Amanda treated my work with kindness and respect, while offering excellent guidance as to what aspects of my novel I needed to work on and improve. - Sarah Barnett
I was lucky enough to have Amanda as my mentor for a year while working on the rewrite of my novel; Amanda convinced me it needed a rewrite and not another draft. With Amanda by my side – she didn’t actually sit next to me, but it often felt like it – I felt confident going through the rewrite and completed before my planned deadline. Amanda’s ability to cut through the complexities of what writers are often told to focus on makes her a great mentor. She knew my characters, and she got to know my excuses with time and helped me get past them to make my work the best it could be. - Claire Schön
I am always grateful for Amanda's feedback on my stories. She is supportive when I am self-doubting. Her comments reflect her grasp of where I'm trying to go, and together we figure out what I need to focus on to best serve the story. And in the bigger picture, she is helping me elevate my craft--exactly what I want to do. - Fran Turner