Mentor Program
Need a critique? The 2025 MWA-NY Mentor Program Officially Opens On March 1!
The MWA-NY Mentor Program committee invites members of the New York Chapter of MWA, unpublished and published, to submit their work, finished or in-progress, for critique by an active member of the chapter. Get feedback from published professionals to help you hone your work!
Submissions are open March 1, 2025, and close on March 31, 2025.
How it works:
Submit the first 35 pages of a manuscript, or one short story up to 35 pages (a slightly shorter or longer submission is fine if a scene or chapter ends a few pages before or after the 35-page limit).
Pay a small fee (25$) to participate. This goes towards MWA-NY, not the mentors, so that we can put on other programs for all of you!
An active member of the New York chapter will provide constructive feedback in writing!
If you’re interested, we need three things from you:
1) The mentee application –
Either fill it outline here
OR you can print out the paper form here and scan it (or take a photo) and email it to Mentors@mwany.org.
2) Payment
you can pay either by check or Paypal! (which includes a fifty cent paypal fee)
To pay by Paypal simply go to this link
OR to pay by check, mail a check for $25, payable to MWA-NY to:
SHEILA YORK (ATTN: MWA-NY MENTOR PROGRAM)
49 MORSE AVENUE
BLOOMFIELD, NJ 07003
3) Your manuscript!
This will only be accepted via email. Your submission can be up to 35 pages of a single short story or part of a novel. A synopsis of 500 words or less (needed to help us match you to a mentor) is preferable for novels. The synopsis should describe the whole plot for completed novels and what you know of the plot so far for works in progress. If you do not have a full synopsis then please add a paragraph at the end of your extract saying how you believe this story will end.
The work should be something that fits into the mystery criteria – crime-related, suspense, true-crime, cozy, sci-fi noir… the list of genres is long, so don’t hesitate to ask if you’re unsure!
Please submit your pages as a MS Word documents in .doc or .docx format (no .pdf or .rtf or anything else), double-spaced, in a Times New Roman or 12-point Courier font. Include your name, the title and the page number at the top of each page. The synopsis, if included, should be part of this document, and not a separate document.
Name your document with your last name as the file name. Example: Smith.doc
Attach the MS Word document to an e-mail addressed to mentors@mwany.org. Include in the body of the e-mail:
Your full name
Title of Manuscript
Whether Novel or Short Story
Genre (to help us pair you with the best mentor)
Remember to attach your pages!
Critiques will be e-mailed to you as we receive them from the mentors, but no later than May 15, 2025. This program does not involve face-to-face discussion or an ongoing relationship between mentor and mentee, unless initiated by the mentor. The active members of the chapter who serve as mentors do so without payment. Their only commitment is to critique the work in writing and help develop new writers.
If you have additional questions, please e-mail mentors@mwany.org – the subject line of your e-mail should be “Mentor Program.”
We look forward to receiving your submission!