Many wonderful stories for children and young adults have been developed in the SCBWI-WWA Mentorship program. And many personal success stories have grown in our program as well. Here is a sample of some personal testimonials from last years’ program. Applications are now being accepted for the 2019-2020 program. Check out the application requirements here.
Mentee Testimonials
“I had a vision. I wrote my passion. Then I made a wish that my book, complete with a beautiful cover, would magically appear in beloved bookstores everywhere. It was a very nice fairy tale that I hated to let go of. Enter the SCBWI mentorship program. By one of those marvelous crazy random connections in life my mentor Laurie Thompson shared my passion, but fortunately she lives in the real world. With grace and kindness she walked me through the steps to getting published. She made constructive criticism sound like a compliment. Just seeing her name in my inbox turned those “this is too hard – I want to give up” days into “little engine that could” days. I think the most important thing Laurie taught me was to see my book through other people’s eyes. And that it’s up to me to take my original vision and use all these viewpoints to make a better book. And I’m pretty sure Laurie will be amazed to hear that I actually think I understood this lesson. Many thanks to Laurie and SCBWI for one of the best experiences of my life.” – Linda Buck
“It has been a joy to work on-on-one with Peggy King Anderson. The experience helped me improve my ability to dig deep into a manuscript as I revise. Peggy’s insights helped me take my work in surprising–and wonderful–directions.” – Melissa Koosmann
“This mentorship has been invaluable. It’s been so helpful to know that someone wise and encouraging with a vested interest in my project is waiting for my revisions. I’m very grateful I was able to participate in this program, and I highly recommend my mentor, Jeanne Ryan, who is smart, patient, flexible, and kind.”– Lenae Nofziger
“Of all the workshops and classes I’ve participated in the mentorship program helped me far and above anything else. It really helped me explore my voice and bring my writing to a new level. It’s an extraordinary program. Excited to see you in May! This program really has been the best.” -Aubri Keleman
“The SCBWI Mentorship came along exactly when I needed it! What a wonderful experience to work one-on-one with a published author. I feel more prepared to leap into that world now, too!” – Amy Poffenbarger
“It is a rare and wonderful opportunity to be given professional editorial feedback on a full length work-in-progress. My mentor, Dori Hillestad Butler, provided excellent insights and comments on every aspect of my middle grade manuscript. During this process I was able to see both my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and what I needed to do to make my project a stronger novel. Revising a manuscript can be an arduous task and I truly appreciated Dori’s encouragement and enthusiasm throughout the program. The SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program provides a supportive and valuable experience and I am grateful to have been given the chance to participate.” – Faith Conlon
Mentor Testimonial
“I love being a mentor for SCBWI-WWA for several reasons. First, it gives me a chance to pay it forward: So many talented authors helped me on my own writing journey, and I want to be able to do the same for others. Second, I enjoy getting to know members of our community on a deeper level, especially those who write in the same genre that I do. Third, it pushes me to keep learning, too, as critiquing others’ work always helps me grow as a writer myself.” – Laurie Thompson