"I wanted to go to university and do something creative and literary but I wasn’t sure what that would look like long term"

I was in my last year of sixth form when I applied for a mentor with Arts Emergency. I’d been doing a creative writing enrichment course at college and I already knew I wanted to go to university and do something creative and literary but I wasn’t sure what that would look like long term.

I was paired with Naomi, a Manchester-based playwright, screenwriter and dramaturg who could not only share industry knowledge, but also has lived experience of what it’s like to be a person of colour trying to break into creative spaces, which was really important to me.

Naomi and I met once a month in cafés and bookshops around Manchester. She gave me advice about applying for writing competitions and improving my CV as well as giving me useful feedback on my work.

I wouldn’t have got the chance to make this connection without my mentor

Through our mentoring meetings I discovered I enjoyed writing for screen so Naomi introduced me to a games writer, which stirred an interest in me and encouraged me to explore different writing formats. I wouldn’t have got the chance to make this connection without my mentor.

My favourite thing about having a mentor was just having a regular time to work on creative goals beyond my college work. Having someone, outside of college and family, to bounce ideas off gave me motivation to keep developing my writing.

Having a mentor like Naomi definitely gave me a clearer idea of how to develop ideas, write pitch documents and develop screen plays

Having a mentor like Naomi definitely gave me a clearer idea of how to develop ideas, write pitch documents and develop screen plays. I’m now in my first year at Manchester Metropolitan University studying English Literature with Creative Writing and hope to have a future in writing for television and animation.