I happen to belong to Jay Lake's Banzi School for Writing Mentorship (he calls it the Banzai School for Famous Authors, but I think it can apply to the less famous of us as well). When I was an undergrad at NCSU, I sought out John Kessel, because he was the only SF writer on the English faculty (even when I was in a different major), and because he really had his shit together. Though I wasn't even an English major, I took many of his classes, and spent an annoying amount of time hanging out in his office, bugging him about writing and markets when I'm sure he would have rather been working on his own fiction or taking care of other academic matters. But he was always patient with me, encouraged me to push myself as a writer, and made me feel as if I was part of something bigger. Though English was only my minor, and he wasn't my advisor, he became a mentor to me, and got me excited about writing again, making me truly believe that it was something I could do.
When I thanked him for this profusely years later, he only mentioned that when the time came, I should do the same. He had been mentored as a callow youth as well, and later felt the obligation to pass on what he'd learned to the next generation. It was an incredible system of paying the knowledge and experience forward almost akin to a master/apprentice relationship. It's one of the big reasons I decided to attend graduate school and become an English teacher myself, so that I could repay John's many kindnesses by educating my own students.
When I thanked him for this profusely years later, he only mentioned that when the time came, I should do the same. He had been mentored as a callow youth as well, and later felt the obligation to pass on what he'd learned to the next generation. It was an incredible system of paying the knowledge and experience forward almost akin to a master/apprentice relationship. It's one of the big reasons I decided to attend graduate school and become an English teacher myself, so that I could repay John's many kindnesses by educating my own students.
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I always turn to Charlie for advice...
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