Hello readers!

Due to the overwhelming response from our writing contest, it has been decided that we here at HomeStation should have a formal mentoring system, so that we may better serve future writers, and provide our readers with a wider range of voices.

The intention of this program is to assist aspiring candidates to the HomeStation Magazine team of writers to become better at the craft by pairing them up with any experienced and accomplished member of the writing team who signs up to volunteer for this project.

HomeStation is over seven months old as of this writing, and those of you who have been writing with the magazine for at least that long should know what is expected of you as far as quality output goes by now.

The sign-up is currently maintained by myself to whom any questions or comments about it should be directed to. It is designed to pair new writers off with an experienced mentor, ideally in their Time Zone and having similar interests. The usual lead time between asking for a mentor and being assigned one is 24 hours. This allows the new user time to peruse HSM, to read more articles, and to get a better feel for the magazine before diving in. The keystone of the mentoring sign-up is patience; please give yourself time to learn the ropes.

Why would I need a mentor?

HomeStation, as you may know, has become one of the most widely read fan publications for PlayStation Home, not only by the fans and users of Home, but by the developers who produce content for Home as well. We have done this in a very short amount of time, and have reached this level of recognition because we - as a team - produce consistent quality articles, and mature content that is worthy of such notice. We are always looking for new talent to join us. However, understand that we do have standards. You may want to consider mentoring if most of the following is true:

• Your first few article submissions fared poorly and/or were rejected by the Editors;
• You feel insecure about posting;
• You think you'd do well with some one-on-one help from an experienced team writer;
• You want to contribute, but have trouble figuring out what to post;
• You think that you could improve your article submissions with some help;
• You are willing to take advice.

What should I do before becoming a mentee?

• Read the HSM About and Submissions pages (the "Announcing HomeStation Magazine’s First Writing Contest!" article is also a good source of information on submission guidelines), as well as "A brief note on HSM forum etiquette.." and the "HOME FAQs" threads in our Forum.
• Also, take the time to assess your own writing ability; note any areas you feel need help with when it comes to writing, and/or things you think will be difficult. These areas of improvement will be things to ask of your mentor.

How do I become a mentee?

• Send a message to me requesting a mentor; you have to sign up to HSM in order to send a message (if you have commented on articles in the past, then you have already completed this step). You then must include your Time Zone (use GMT +/- only if outside the North American continent), hours you're typically available, relative location (greater city area, state, province or country is fine), and any subjects in which you may be particularly interested, or things you think you will need advice on. You can expect a response within 24 hours.

I got a mentor, but they never responded to my message. What should I do?

• Give them two days to answer, then let me know about it. You will be reassigned to another mentor.

Please also keep a constant eye out on this post, as guidelines may change over time.

A NOTE TO ALL POTENTIAL MENTORS AND MENTEES:

We'll do our best to match people with similar interests and styles. If, however, you think your mentor is not right for you, or your mentee is not responding well to you and you can't work it out between the two of you, you may request a change. We do not want people changing mentors and mentees faster than they change their underwear, so be nice to each other and try to make it not come to that, okay? Otherwise I will turn into Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield. And I can recite Ezekiel 25:17 verbatim.

The guidelines for mentors are in the staff part of the forum. Please read those as well.

I would like to be mentored. I think I can write fairly well, but I think I need help refining my skills such that I might be able to create articles for this excellent publication. I am in awe of the people who write for HSM and would be love to be able to share such talented company.

OK TY Terra. Actually, I'm having writers block trying to come up with a good topic at the moment. Maybe we can talk about topics later.

I would like to have a Mentor to make sure I am writing quality articles and upcoming stories.