Writers’ Mentorship Programme
Big Thinking Publishing · School of Writing
Free Writers’ Mentorship Programme in the UK
Our Free Writers’ Mentorship Programme is a 6-week mentorship scheme for emerging writers in the UK, pairing you with a published author for one-to-one support, feedback, and real-world industry insight.
What is the Free Writers’ Mentorship Programme UK?
The Big Thinking Publishing Free Writers’ Mentorship Programme is a structured 6-week scheme for emerging writers in the UK. Each mentee is paired with a published author for one-to-one support, weekly guided sessions, and focused feedback designed to grow confidence, craft, and clarity about your writing.
- Free to join – there is no cost to take part.
- 6-week structured programme with a clear focus each week.
- One-to-one mentorship from a published author matched to your genre and goals.
- Professional critique on a sample of your work (around 300–500 words).
- Live Q&A with the owner of Big Thinking Publishing for real-world editorial and publishing insight.
Who is this programme for?
This mentorship is designed for emerging writers who want structure, support, and honest, encouraging feedback. It’s suitable for:
- Students aged 18+ on Creative Writing, English, Journalism, Humanities, Media, or related degrees.
- Aspiring writers from any academic or professional background.
- Beginners through to more experienced writers who want to develop their craft.
- Writers working on fiction, poetry, memoir, short stories, YA, fantasy, and hybrid or experimental forms.
Mentees are matched with a mentor by genre, interests, age group (teen or adult), and sometimes location for local press opportunities.
What you’ll gain
By the end of the six weeks, you will have:
- A clearer sense of your writing style, voice, and direction.
- Improved craft skills – from story structure and character to imagery, rhythm, and line-level editing.
- Personalised, actionable feedback on your work from a published author.
- Increased confidence in your writing and your creative decisions.
- Stronger writing samples for submissions, applications, or future opportunities.
- A practical next-steps plan for your project and your writing life beyond the programme.
How the 6-week programme works
The programme is delivered online via weekly one-to-one sessions with your mentor (around 1 hour each), supported by simple guided materials. Each week focuses on a different aspect of your writing:
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Week 1 · Welcome, goals & writing identity
Get to know your mentor, explore your current work and interests, and set realistic, meaningful goals for the 6 weeks ahead.
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Week 2 · Story foundations
Clarify the core idea of your project – characters, conflict, themes, or focus – and begin shaping a workable structure for your story, poem, or memoir piece.
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Week 3 · Voice & style
Explore what makes your writing sound like you. Through short exercises and discussion, you’ll experiment with tone, perspective, rhythm, and imagery to strengthen your voice.
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Week 4 · Editing & craft development
Learn practical editing strategies at both big-picture and sentence level. You’ll work on a short extract together to make your writing clearer, sharper, and more impactful.
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Week 5 · Deep-dive feedback
Receive focused written feedback (around 300–500 words) on a piece of your work, then unpack it with your mentor in session to identify key growth points and opportunities.
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Week 6 · Showcase prep & next steps
Refine a short piece or extract for an optional final showcase and build a realistic next-steps plan: submission routes, writing routines, or project goals beyond the programme.
Want to see the full week-by-week breakdown in more detail?
Read the full programme overview.
Information for universities
The Writers’ Mentorship Programme runs as a pilot initiative and is particularly well suited to universities seeking additional structured, real-world support for student writers.
Careers and Employability teams, Creative Writing and English departments, and student societies are warmly invited to:
- Circulate the opportunity internally to interested students.
- Nominate a small group of students who would benefit from mentorship.
- Promote the programme as part of wider skills and professional development support.
You can find a dedicated information page here:
University writing development programme – information for universities
If you represent a university and would like to discuss involvement, please contact:
Email:
writing@bigthinkingpublishing.com
Practical details
Format
Weekly online sessions (around 1 hour each) with your mentor, plus short creative tasks between meetings.
Time commitment
Around 6 hours of live sessions across 6 weeks, plus time for reading, writing, and responding to feedback.
Cost
The pilot cohort is completely free for accepted participants.
Have questions about eligibility, access, or how mentoring works in practice?
Read the Writers’ Mentorship Programme FAQs.
Apply to the Writers’ Mentorship Programme
Places are limited so that each mentee can receive genuine one-to-one support. If you’re interested in joining the next cohort, please complete the short application form using the link below.
We review applications carefully and aim to match each mentee with an appropriate mentor. Not every application can be accepted in the initial 6-week programme, but we encourage you to apply if you feel ready for focused guidance and feedback.
Apply via SurveyMonkeyFor questions about the programme, please email writing@bigthinkingpublishing.com.