2021 Write Mentor Summer Programme

Written By Naomi Gibson

Hi everyone!

You’ve probably found this page because you’re stalking me on Twitter and noticed I’m going to be a mentor with Write Mentor this year!

I thought it best to say a bit more about what I’m offering as a mentor and what books I would love to work on.

What I’m offering:

I aim to give an editorial letter on my reception as a reader. This might be a few pages long and will cover many aspects, from characters to plot to pacing to any typos I spot. If I think there are any specific “issues” in your book, I’ll aim to address these in their own sections. I’m also offering a 1-2-1 via Skype for an hour so we can discuss the report after you’ve digested it.

What books I’m looking for:

Send me your “what if” scenarios, your unique dystopias/utopias, your fast-paced thrillers, books with strong romantic subplots (not the main plot) and anything that has a strong hook and screams commercial. I want books that read like movies, books that are creepy and weird but have heart. I want books that have a gorgeous twist on the every day, like The Time Traveller’s Wife or Flowers For Algernon. Send me characters who have issues, are morally grey and unreliable, like Lola in Harrow Lake. Send me that weird book of your heart.

I love light sci-fi in the style of A Thousand Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray. If your book involves space ships and intergalactic happenings, I’m probably not the mentor for you. However, I love technology, alternate universes, AI and time travel plot devices explored in a contemporary setting.

If you think your book spans several genres, I’ll be into it :)

See below for a bit more of what I like…

TV shows I love:

  • The Queen’s Gambit

  • Stranger Things

  • Marcella

  • Hinterland

  • Archer

Films I love:

  • Meet Joe Black

  • The Talented Mr Ripley

  • Self/Less

  • Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

  • The Prestige

Books I love:

  • The Binding by Bridget Collins

  • Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes

  • Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

  • Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

  • Hush by Jeph Loeb

  • Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

  • Death Of A Clone by Alex Thomson

Things I don’t like:

  • Anything to do with demons/ouija boards/demonic possession - sorry, can’t handle it!

  • Sick lit, e.g. main character will die of some horrible disease - can’t handle this either!

  • On the subject of diseases, I’m not really looking to read anything about a pandemic!

  • Books that are purely romance. I love a romance subplot but I don’t want the entire plot to be will they/won’t they.

Naomi Gibson
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