A Day in the Life of a Writing Mentor
Ever wondered what a day in the life of a writing mentor looks like? Thanks to our wonderful volunteer Sam, you’re about to find out…
My name’s Sam, I’m a volunteer writing mentor at Ministry of Stories. Since January, I have been joining Thursday Writing Lab to help the young writers tell stories, create characters, and build their self-confidence. Here’s what a typical session looks like.
A young writer has become sticky toffee pudding with custard and a spoon. I’m always amazed by how creative these young writers can be.
It’s Thursday afternoon. I leave Hoxton Overground, head down Falkirk Street, take a right on Hoxton Street and head into Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, the fun and lively shop that sits in front of the writing centre. I say hello to the volunteer shopkeeper behind the till and then walk through the secret door into Ministry of Stories.
3.15pm: Arriving at Ministry of Stories I grab my lanyard, personalised with my name and self portrait then get my table ready for the young writers to arrive. I place their folders by their seats with their pens and exercise books, and, most importantly, I make sure there’s a feast of fruit and breadsticks (we call this food for thought!).
3.30pm: Mentor Briefing When all the mentors have arrived, we sit down to be briefed on today’s session. Our Writing Facilitator tells us what they’ve planned; we could be creating poetry snakes, writing riddles, or even getting crafty and making zines!
3.45pm: Young Writers Arrive There’s a flurry of bags, bikes, and big puffer jackets as the young writers come rushing into the room. Their energy is electrifying! I welcome my group to join me at the table.
3.50pm: The Starter Activity Every session begins with a starter activity to get our brains warmed up. This week we sit at our tables talking about our favourite food. A young writer teaches me his recipe for making ‘golden brown butter’, which I’ll definitely be trying at home. I love moments like these when the young writers teach me something new. Some days we might imagine what it would be like to be a tree, other days we could list every word that makes us feel ‘Yay!’.
4.00pm: Carpet Time We gather on the carpet for a warm up game so everyone is energised and ready to write. Today we’re making pudding shapes on the floor. A young writer has become sticky toffee pudding with custard and a spoon. I’m always amazed by how creative these young writers can be. On another day we might play Grandmother’s Footsteps or find out who has the fastest ‘SPLAT!’.
4.15: The Writing Task I head back to the our table with my group of writers for our main writing task. This week, to encourage the young writers to think about who they are, we’re writing recipes with all the ingredients that make us, well, us. A young writer needs a sprinkle of sass, two teaspoons of friendship and a pinch of love from her mum. Next week we might be telling stories that take us back in time, or writing poems that don’t have to rhyme!
5pm: Sharing Time Everyone gets a chance to share their work, giving us a glimpse into the young writers’ worlds, which always makes me smile. Today, a young writer reads out a word where every letter is silent. Some days we visit the planet Jumble, or we change the end of Cinderella so she doesn’t marry the prince and instead becomes a businesswoman.
5.15pm: Home Time Suddenly, it’s home time. The young writers are grabbing their bags, bikes, and big puffer jackets and heading home.
5.30pm: Mentor Debrief We end the session with a debrief, our chance to share our session highs and lows and chat about our mentoring techniques. We like to discuss the day’s discoveries, like debating the best facts about sharks, or answering life’s most important questions: if you were a table, what shape would you be?
5.45pm: Leaving Ministry of Stories Before I know it, it’s 5.45 and I’m out the secret door. I wave goodbye to the shopkeeper and head down Hoxton Street, turn left onto Falkirk Street and walk towards the Overground.
I wonder what we’ll be doing next week.
