I’ve just updated my Services page. The big news: I’m operating on a pay-what-you-can basis for the time being.

I am terrible with money: asking for it, making it, spending it. I’ve been doing a lot of unpaid work for the Green Party lately. (Mayhaps this needs a separate post.) This is my way of trying to solve growing cashflow issues and, I hope, creating new connections while using my teaching and writing experiences in healthy ways.

Over the past two years, with the help of an Arts Council DYCP grant (which also paid for this website), I’ve trialled mentoring with several people on their writing. I was also able to work with a very brilliant and encouraging Arvon mentor, Stephen May, on my own writing. I’ve researched other writing mentor websites, talked to writers in the Society of Authors and chatted to freelance editor friends to get a sense of how to pitch my skills.

I want to do more of it. I just need to work out how to promote myself. With my main social media platform turning into a toxic, dysfunctional hell, I am thinking about how best to get the word out. I set up this website to help, but maybe I was overly cautious in avoiding interactive elements. Possibly I need a substack, or something similar.

As to my recent mentoring experiences, I’ve worked with two PhD students, a novelist, four poets, and one person’s hybrid project (which it seems underwhelming to call mixed media). I’ve also exchanged writing with several people, including short story writers, essayists, research writers, novelists and poets, keeping my feedback muscles toned and constructive.

Hopefully the new Services page is clearer. I’ve added editing and simplified the mentoring process. I’ve clarified suggested rates at the top of the page (£40/hr for mentoring, 5p/word for editing with concessions for both), but only to give people a ballpark to work with. I guess I could also add samples of what I do, maybe share a page of marked-up text and general feedback, but that seems more complicated and needs permission.

I’m trying to keep the engagement dialogic, as everyone’s needs are different and bare feedback without explanation often exposes misunderstandings. So there’s a running invitation to get in touch if you have questions.

And, because I’m terrible at asking for money or pressuring people to take up my services, I won’t be hard-selling anything.

I probably ought to post a general update on what I’ve been doing separately and start blogging regularly again this year, but it’s definitely not a new year’s resolution. Hopefully a bit more reviewing of my recent reading to follow.