Led Chaya Bhuvaneswar, a practicing physician, writer, and PEN American award finalist for her debut collection WHITE DANCING ELEPHANTS: STORIES, which was also selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Debut Fiction and Best Short Story Collection. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, Narrative Magazine, Tin House, Electric Literature, Kenyon Review, The Millions, Joyland, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Awl, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from MacDowell, Squaw Valley/ Community of Writers, and Sewanee Writers Workshop. She has been a visiting writer for Yale University Summer Writing Workshop, Westchester Community College, UCSF Medical Humanities program, and the University of Rhode Island graduate writing program. She was an invited speaker for the SUNY-Canton Visiting Writer Series.

Application Process: Complete the Application Questionnaire 

This 12-month Individual Mentorship is scheduled from June 2023 through June 2024 and includes ongoing 1-on-1 meetings with Chaya. This mentorship will meet you where you are as a writer over 50 or a working parent who aspires to write.

The ideal applicant for this mentorship is a writer over 50 or a working parent who is also a writer and works full-time in a job unrelated to writing. This individual would likely have limited time to devote to writing but would be highly motivated to improve their skills and pursue their passion for writing. They would also be in need of guidance to support their desire to write and improve their craft.

MENTORSHIP DESCRIPTION

Have you found yourself, instead of writing, surfing through announcements of other people's book deals on Twitter or looking at the Instagrams of famous writers (single, childfree, blithe) as they post photos of themselves writing at an Italian castle?

Have you ever felt like writing is for them and not for you -- or questioned your ability to "juggle' everything (raising a family and financially supporting them while pursuing creative goals)?

Then this mentorship is for you. Through prompts, individualized coaching and support, and manuscript deadlines and feedback, we will get you to the other side of being a well-published, respected writer who can generate both immense personal satisfaction and side income from your writing.

The course is unique in how inclusive we strive to be for "who gets to be a writer" -- aiming at those struggling to publish in between school run, house tasks, and full-time, demanding work - while at the same time, being focused on traditional publishing (breaking in vs. "self-publishing").

The course is also unique in how realistic you will be trained to be, in putting your work through rapid revisions and pushing through (via persistent submissions!) to get as much work published as possible in as short a time as possible. You will learn to use your fine-honed skills from the non-writing workplace as a part-time writer.

Finally, the course shares unique and concrete tips on participating in literary circles while working around your responsibilities at home and in the workplace while accommodating your budget.

Thanks to digital publishing, social media, podcasts, streaming, and virtual events, the sky is the limit on how involved you can be in promoting your own writing once you have started to get published.

On the micro level, we identify (in a personalized manner) where and when you can get your writing done; on the macro level, we make sure that the writing you are spending your precious time reflects your deep heart's core.

Mentees can use this one-on-one mentorship to get more fully at peace with the plan of continuing to work (to put kids through college or pay for caregiving of an ailing parent or live in the same neighborhood your full-time job makes possible, etc.) while also continuing to develop and blossom as a successful writer. 

Mentorship Takeaways:

1. Learn to write when you have "no time."
2. Learn to conceive of literary and publishing circles as inclusive of people with full-time, non-writing jobs.
3. Deal with the pressure and competition constructively.
4. Set writing goals that liberate you and set you up for many wins.
5. Work to publish at least 12 works within a 12-month period and have drafted and revised at least one long project.

The Three-Month Mentorship Consists of the Following:

• One-on-one initial consultation via phone or Zoom to discuss your experience, specific needs, and aspirations
• Accountability
• Access to mentor via email for 12 months
• Bi-monthly meetings between mentor and mentee via phone or Zoom to discuss goal progress and assignments
• Personalized, written line edits and high-level feedback on submitted assignments
• Assignments tailored to your individual needs and interests

Mentor’s Monthly Input:

• Phone or Zoom conversations to discuss goals and assignments
• Line edits and high-level written feedback on submitted assignments
• Available to answer questions/provide support at any time via email

Mentee’s Monthly Responsibilities:

• Meet monthly deadlines based on established goals for the mentorship
• Read and engage with assigned materials
• Participate in email conversations about the progress

Assigned Reading Will Include:

• Craft in the Real World
• On Writing
• Bird by Bird
• The Art of Fiction
• Glimmer Train Craft Book
  

Application Process: Complete the Application Questionnaire 

Testimonials:

 “Working with Chaya Bhuvaneswar is hugely rewarding. I had been in a writing rut, but she set me up in our first two sessions with personalized exercises, readings, strategies, and a schedule for submitting my work for publication. Her deep knowledge of writing, literary publishing, and encouragement that Chaya brings to our coaching sessions has motivated me to reactivate my creative writing practice." - Elizabeth Botton, mentee

"SO GOOD. Like, perfect for me. Chaya addressed a lot of stuff I didn't even know how to name. Best class I've taken. Thank you!" -anonymous mentee

"The content of this mentorship was incredibly helpful, and I enjoyed working with Chaya--I would give her program 5 stars! It got me thinking about my writing time and how best to use it in new ways, and Chaya was lovely to work with. I hope to work with her again--she's kind, compassionate, thoughtful, and clearly widely read, as she provided so many great resources for me." -anonymous mentee