Grow Your Writing with Scott
@scottsoconnor
Work with PocketMFA
Apply to join a mentor’s small group of writers that they will lead through our unique 12 week mentoring and workshopping program.
Decide if Scott is Right for You with Our Mentor Interview
What excites you most about writing?
“I’m most excited when I’m deep in a project that has taken on a life of its own, when I can see what the novel or story or essay or script can be in its best form, as a thing apart from me. Then my ego or the way I’m feeling about my writing day to day is no longer important. I’m an employee now—I work for that thing.
In many ways, writing has shaped my life. It’s my career, my art, my way of seeing the world. It’s brought me so many friendships and amazing experiences. I try to remind myself to be grateful for it every day,” Scott said.
What mindset does a writer need to grow?
“Curiosity, imagination, a willingness to be uncertain, to be wrong, to take risks.”
What three words describe you as a mentor?
“Supportive, inquisitive, adventurous.”
What makes a good writing mentor?
“I mentor from personal experience. I know the joys and challenges of writing, I’ve been there—I’m there right now. I’m always paying attention to my process, what’s working, what isn’t working. Sharing my process helps my students develop their own.”
What is your style of feedback?
“I ask a lot of questions. I want to know more—about characters, setting, structure, about a writer’s thought process and choices. The best answers—the only answers that stay true to their work—come from the writers themselves. Through feedback and discussion, we get there together.”
What was the most recent “standout” book you read, and what drew you to it?
“Say Hello to My Little Friend, by Jennine Capó Crucet. It’s a novel that sounds impossible to pull off: a contemporary riff on Moby Dick, refracted through the prism of modern-day Miami, Pitbull’s discography, and a killer whale with a psychic link to a young Cuban-American man who models his life on Tony Montana’s in Scarface. I found Crucet’s sheer audacity inspiring. A reminder that there’s nothing we can’t attempt in a novel. We’re bound only by the limits of our imagination and the courage to see it through.”