by Peter Leavell, @PeterLeavell
Apprentice is a tried-and-true method of learning. How should you, as a master, pass on writing wisdom? Should you spend the time?
Why, should you as a writer, have disciples?
- You have something important to teach, no matter what level of writing you find yourself. You learned a few good tips, now is the time to pass them on.
- Mentorship is the best style of teaching. Large class size measurably diminishes learning.
- Apprenticeship means actively working on a project, side by side. Whether it’s your project or theirs, it’s as if you’re reaching down a hand and pulling up another writer to your level.
- Teaching keeps your skills sharp, both in writing, speaking, and philosophical thought, since much of what you’re doing is telling someone why this or that style of writing/publishing works.
- Your wisdom passes on to others long after you’re gone.
- Disciples sell your work.
How, then, shall we disciple?
- When someone asks what to do with the manuscript they just wrote, they’ve given you an open door to help. Offer to mentor them.
- If you offer to mentor someone, set boundaries
- If you set boundaries, it means you’ve thought this through carefully.
- If you’ve thought about mentoring, it means you know yourself and what you’re capable of, and how many writing disciples to take on. One is more than enough for me.
How shall I find an apprentice?
- Make tender your heart to love those who know not the way.
- Find clever ways to share your knowledge, either through blogs, social media, writing conferences, and through conversation to draw new writers. This also keeps your skill set sharp.
- Less preaching, more action. Rather than talk about writing, write. By writing, you will find those equally dedicated.
- Draw in those who are dedicated to learning. Gently tell those who are not focused that you are unavailable to help.
- Allow them to peek at your current and past projects.
For millennia, apprentice has long been the way to learn. Resurrect the method by taking on a disciple. You will tighten your skills, pass on your knowledge, and frankly, be a better person for the experience.
Philip Anderson keeps his past close to the vest. Haunted by the murder of his parents as they traveled West in their covered wagon, his many unanswered questions about that night still torment him.
His only desire is to live quietly on his homestead and raise horses. He meets Anna, a beautiful young woman with secrets of her own. Falling in love was not part of his plan. Can Philip tell her how he feels before it’s too late?
With Anna a pawn in the corrupt schemes brewing in the nearby Dakota town, Philip is forced to become a reluctant gunslinger. Will Philip’s uncannily trained horses and unsurpassed sharpshooting skills help him free Anna and find out what really happened to his family in the wilderness?
Peter Leavell, a 2007/2020 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history and a MA in English Literature, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild’s Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing’s Best award for First-Time Author, along with multiple other awards. An author, blogger, teacher, ghostwriter, jogger, biker, husband and father, Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Learn more about Peter’s books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com