Dear Mentors,

Before I moved to Eugene I knew what kind of career I wanted as a writer. I wanted to make a living by writing fiction and I understood, even then, that writing novels made a writer's living. Doing that with short fiction is a long shot, maybe even impossible. I only considered myself a short story writer because I hadn't written a novel, however I knew I wanted to try and I felt I had novel-sized ideas.

Please understand this is the career I want. I don't want to give up short story writing, so I'll try to do those with the novels. As for art, well, I am a slow writer at present. I tend to worry about the sentence level of my stories and most of the time I wait too long before I start a story that's inside my head. I believe I can write well fast, but it's just going to take time and it's going to take practice.

This is a great area to live in. There are plenty of writers to learn from, be it from mentors or peers. Some mentors are more hands-on. They are intense and dogmatic. Then there are other mentors who are more hands-off. They don't push, they may not inspire everyone, but they are helpful if you ask--these mentors probably consider you a peer and not as a student.

I'm too reserved to ask questions. I learn by listening, observing, and internalizing tidbits of knowledge I pick up. Thus, I get more from opinionated writers, especially the ones working at making a living from fiction because that is what I want to do. I've also realized I get energized and inspired by my prolific peers, thus they stand in the gray area between mentor and peer.

I'm responsible for my own career and the advice that I take. Every career is different. Anything can happen. If I make a mistake, the wrong choice, I'm not going to play the blame game. Nobody grows by shoving responsibility onto someone else. It's all about attitude. Patience, tolerance, and acceptance has gotten me a lot of knowledge around here.

Now you have to trust me, my mentors and peers. I have a vision of my own career just as you have a writing philosophy and a definition of writing career. I also have a filter. I take advice, weigh it, and try it to determine if it works for me. I take things to heart, but I also know the rules can be broken, whether in craft or the business side of writing. I have to know the rules and know when to toss them out.

Don't be offended if I'm trying the advice of one mentor over another. I'm here to learn from everybody and anybody but sometimes a bit of knowledge might strike me a certain way and I know I have to take it. One mentor might be closer to my own vision of writing career, but that doesn't mean I learn less from the other. Some mentors are great for craft things, others the business side of things. I've learned to get out of my own way from both kinds of mentors. Sometimes I'm surprised at the things I learn from unsuspected sources. An open mind goes a long way.

I think all my mentors have my best interest in mind. They all want me to reach my goals. All my mentors have become friends. This is perfectly natural with human interaction. If there's a conflict and bitterness between two of my mentors, I still want to maintain friendships with both of them. That's just the way it is. I appreciate all that you have taught me, whether you know it or not, and I look forward to more.

Your student, peer, and friend,

Rob Vagle

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Enough said. I think.