Mentor AM Kvita

OVERVIEW
I spent a long time in the query trenches and it can be dark and lonely and mean. I view mentoring as a way to make that period (and all that comes after), less dark, less lonely, and less mean. I’m committed to providing long term help to people in many forms, be it a manuscript revision, by being a cheerleader, or by offering practical, tough-love advice. I want to help people figure out their best writing and revising processes and I’m really delighted to have a chance to do that with AMM!

I’m looking to set up a mentorship relationship that lasts beyond the formal bounds of AMM, into the query trenches and beyond. My editorial strengths are complex plots and synthesizing ideas. Give me your grandest stories and I’ll help you walk the razor wire between “so much happening it’s confusing” and “so much happening it’s amazing.” On the flip, I’m also good at taking a book with very little plot and finding a way to inject in high stakes and grand adventure without losing the focus on the characters. I prefer writing-driven stories, then plot-driven, then character-driven stories, but my main strength is producing a strong combination of the three.

As a mentor, I am very flexible. I can be as involved or removed as my mentee needs me to be—I’m here to serve. I’m mainly a fantasy writer so gravitate toward that as a mentor, and generally just love feral characters. What I’m looking for above all is lyrical writing, but close behind is a willingness to dive into revisions with a passion.

MENTORING GENRES
Adult

• Fantasy
• Sci-Fi
• Magical Realism/Fabulism
• Urban/Contemporary Fantasy
• Science Fantasy

Enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, and friends to lovers are my favorite tropes! I’m also fond of grumpy/sunshine.

I’m not a good fit for historical fantasy and like a romance subplot but not a full romance. Sci-Fi is a tougher fit for me unless it’s Science-Fantasy and has an element of the magical. In all, I’m looking for literary writing.

I WILL PROVIDE:

• Edit Letter (Big Picture developmental feedback)
• Line edit (dropping notes into a Word Document)
• Skype or phone call
• Freestyle in chat

WORKING STYLE
– In the technical sense, I prefer email/writing to calls but can do either (also, I operate on EST). More generally, open communication is key! I want my mentee to feel comfortable coming to me with any sort of question, and with speaking up if they have an issue/disagree with a suggested edit. I never intend to be prescriptive or overly demanding in my suggestions, only highlight areas for improvement and help brainstorm ways to make the book more propulsive and impactful. I’m available for talking through issues both big and small.
— I’m not just here for your words, I’m also here to make sure you feel supported and ready to go out into the great big world of publishing and query. I hope this is a great opportunity for my mentee to think about workflow: what works for them and what doesn’t. Process is very important (and individual) in writing, and I’d like to help my mentee settle on revision processes that help them feel best. This means if there’s something very specific that works for someone (getting edits in a certain way, talking about things in a certain way) then I’m keen on helping my mentee figure that out.
– My mentoring style is flexible: tailored for the individual mentee. I can be a cheerleader, deadline-setter, or tough-love-giver. I can get on a call or chat frequently. In general, I will provide at least one big edit letter and another round of line edits.

IDEAL MENTEE
My ideal mentee is ready for the long haul. All of my truly creative work happens in revision, and my ideal mentee understands revision as a place where the magic happens, where threads are unbraided and rewoven, where darlings are killed, and where we dive deeper into characters, the world, and the plot. They need to be a good communicator, because while they don’t need to have a long writing history, they do need to be ready to learn!

SEND ME:

Above all I am looking for pretty, lyrical writing. I’d love to see the following in my subs:

• BIPOC/LGBT/DIS authors
• BIPOC/LGBT/DIS characters
• LGBT romance subplots
• fantasy/sci-fi sports
• a new spin on exorcists
• intense rivalries
• people who are absolutely feral
• ancient gods
• inherited magic and inherited conflict
• books set in intricate cities/ones based on architecture
• intense worldbuilding in non-western worlds
• in slight contrast to the point above, anything with Greco Roman mythology
• mythology/loose retellings in general are welcome!
• books set in matriarchal or genderqueer societies
• monarchies/court intrigue (so long as they are not blindly pro-monarchy)
• the gritty and the rough, dark atmospheres with a hint of humor

DO NOT SEND ME:

While these are not hard NOs, I’m very unlikely to choose:

• books about fertility
• books set in patriarchal societies
• issue books, especially if they’re contemporary. I’m likely not a good fit for racism/sexism/homophobia
• books that end with “it was all a dream”
• anything where animals are killed/harmed
• fae unless they are set in non-western worlds

FAVES

Books: THE MAGICIANS, STRANGE THE DREAMER, GIDEON THE NINTH, HARROW THE NINTH, THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, CIRCE, AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR, LORE, IRON WIDOW

TV/Anime: THE MAGICIANS (again), MY HERO ACADEMIA, ARCANE, BLUE EXORCIST

Comics: COVENANT, LORE OLYMPUS, FENCE, SAGA, CHECK PLEASE!

Video Games: HADES, NIER, WITCHER 3