Jerry
Jerry is my mentor. He's been my mentor since Fall 2010. When I met him I was immediately intimidated. He wasn't trying to be scary but Jerry exudes this gruff confidence. He knows who he is, what he writes and is uncompromising. I knew the moment I shook his hand that he wasn't the type of person to mince words or candy coat his criticism. It's one of the things I really love about him, even if it bugs me from time to time.
I have to do some extraordinary writing to get, "I like this" from him. I get a lot of honest and fair comment, a list of writers to read but mostly I get a lot of questions. "What makes this important?" "Why are you writing this?" "What's the heart of the essay?" "Everyone goes through this to one degree or another, so what makes it unique to you?" As much as I dread the questions once he asks them, I'm always glad because it makes me think about the purpose of each essay I'm writing and pushes me to find myself.
As far as writing goes, Jerry is one of the few people who not only believes in me but actually pushes me to keep writing. Over the winter he took the time to send me a post card from the South Pole that simply said, "Hello from the South Pole! Get to writing!!!" Who does that other than someone who really gives a shit about your writing and believes your good?
A mentor's support comes from seeing the potential in you because they know what makes someone good in their field. They see your potential even when you doubt yourself which is what Jerry does. He's a writer. He's been published numerous times and knows what is needed to be successful.
Whenever I start to doubt myself, I think of Jerry and remember that he'd never push me if he didn't think I had the talent.
I have to do some extraordinary writing to get, "I like this" from him. I get a lot of honest and fair comment, a list of writers to read but mostly I get a lot of questions. "What makes this important?" "Why are you writing this?" "What's the heart of the essay?" "Everyone goes through this to one degree or another, so what makes it unique to you?" As much as I dread the questions once he asks them, I'm always glad because it makes me think about the purpose of each essay I'm writing and pushes me to find myself.
As far as writing goes, Jerry is one of the few people who not only believes in me but actually pushes me to keep writing. Over the winter he took the time to send me a post card from the South Pole that simply said, "Hello from the South Pole! Get to writing!!!" Who does that other than someone who really gives a shit about your writing and believes your good?
A mentor's support comes from seeing the potential in you because they know what makes someone good in their field. They see your potential even when you doubt yourself which is what Jerry does. He's a writer. He's been published numerous times and knows what is needed to be successful.
Whenever I start to doubt myself, I think of Jerry and remember that he'd never push me if he didn't think I had the talent.
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