Who Would You Love to Work With as a Mentor?

And now for something completely different!

We all have idols and people we look up to, but who would you choose as a mentor?

I know who I would choose!

The very first writing book I ever owned was a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law and his wife way back in 1993. It was a copy of Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Dog-eared now and covered in notes and highlights, it is still one of my favorite books and I’d always dreamed of joining one of her workshops even though going to Santa Fe wasn’t something I could afford. The dream lingered.

Fast forward to 2007. Since receiving that book, I have moved across Canada from Alberta to Ontario and, in order to meet some like-minded people, joined a writing group that uses Ms. Goldberg’s teachings as a template to run their meetings. It’s the closest opportunity I have to actually attending one of her workshops, so it’ll do.

Then along came Covid and things changed. Some of them for the better!

Just the other day I found a link from Prajna Studios, a division of Shambhala Publications, about a virtual Writing Down the Bones webinar featuring my dream mentor—you guessed it!--Natalie Goldberg.

“Yeah. Right. It’s going to cost a fortune,” I told the link, but clicked on it anyway.

Up came a video with Natalie sharing three key points that came to guide and anchor her writing life over the past decades. The video was a little hard to hear but in a nutshell, they are:

1.        Continue under all circumstances.
2.          Don’t be tossed away.
3.          Make positive effort for the good.

Trust me, everyone who clicks on the link gets to hear them. I’m not giving away deep dark secrets!

The deeper into the rabbit hole I dug, the more I realized I could actually learn from the woman who was a huge inspiration to me so many years ago without having to pay a small fortune!

Do I suck it up and pay the money? It is half price!

Do I pretend I never saw the link? Never went down that rabbit hole as inviting as it is?

Writing for me is like breathing. Ink runs in my blood. If I didn’t dive in and do this, would I regret it later?

Drop by Friday to find out what I decide!!

Want to go down the rabbit hole yourself and find out more? Join Writing Down the Bones with Natalie Goldberg Now! (shambhala.com)

Writer or not, is there anyone you would love to learn from, past or present?