Catching up with 2018 Editor-Writer Mentee Maria Ramos Chertok

Writer Maria Ramos Chertok found a fairy godmother in Editor-Mentor Nan Gatewood Satter, as the recipient of the Adult Fiction Mentorship in The Word's Editor-Writer Mentorship Program. She learned she has a great story... today she shares a bit of how she got there.

1) Which fictional mentor did your Editor-Mentor most channel? 

A fairy god mother with a firm hand is the best way I can describe Nan. I had wished for someone to tell me what was needed next and Nan appeared – like a magical apparition.

2) What surprised you about your writing or yourself during your mentorship? 

For me, the mentorship is in progress because I still have a big edit to do on my novel. Nan's recommendation was that I take a few classes to shore up on editing skills, which I just completed. I’ll begin the editing in earnest this coming week. So, based on that, what has surprised me most is how hard editing one’s work is and how much I don’t know about editing.

3) On a long day of writing or querying, what sage advice from your Editor-Mentor will be floating around in your mind? 

That I have a great story and that I just need to pay attention to the details now so I can get the book ready.

4) Will you share with us what you've been working on? Give us your one-line pitch of your manuscript. 

Rosie’s Blues is a novel about a homeless woman who is befriended by a bohemian feminist who runs a shelter and how their connection changes their understanding of love, belonging, and family.