Chip McGregor shared this story that most sufficiently makes its own points very clearly.
In 1919, a man recovering from injuries and wounds suffered in the Great War (World War I) in Europe used his meager means to rent a small apartment in Chicago. He chose the location of his apartment for the specific purpose of its proximity to the home of Sherwood Anderson, the famous author. Anderson had penned the widely praised novel “Winesburg, Ohio,” and was known for his eager willingness to help younger writers.
The two men became fast personal friends and spent nearly everyday together for two full years. They shared meals, took long walks, and discussed the craft of writing late into the night at every opportunity. The younger man often brought samples of his work to Anderson, and the veteran author responded by giving brutally honest critiques. Yet the younger writer was never deterred. During each critique session, the young man would carefully listen, take copious notes, and then return to his typewriter to improve his material. He didn’t try to defend himself or make excuses, for as he put it later, “I didn’t know how to write until I met Sherwood Anderson.”
One of the most helpful things Anderson did for his young protege’ was to introduce him to his network of associates in the publishing world. Soon the younger man was writing on his own.
In 1926, he published his first novel, which met with critical acclaim. Its title was “The Sun Also Rises,” and the author’s name was Ernest Hemingway.
But wait! This story doesn’t end there. After Hemingway left Chicago, Sherwood Anderson moved to New Orleans. There he met another young wordsmith, a poet with an insatiable drive to improve his skills. Anderson put him through the same paces he had put Hemingway–writing, critiquing, discussing, encouraging–and always more writing. He gave the young man copies of his novels and encouraged him to read them carefully, noting the words, themes, and development of a character and story. A year later, Anderson helped this man publish his first novel, “Soldier Pay.” Three years later, this bright new talent, William Faulkner, produced “The Sound and the Fury,” and it quickly became an American masterpiece.
Anderson’s role as a mentor to aspiring authors didn’t stop there. In California, he spent several years working with playwright, Thomas Wolfe and a young man named John Steinbeck, among others. All told, three of Anderson’s protege’s earned Nobel Prizes and four Pulitzer Prizes for literature. The famous literary critic, Malcolm Cowley said that Sherwood Anderson was “the only writer of his generation to leave his mark on the style and vision of the next generation.”
What caused Sherwood Anderson to so generously give of his time and expertise to help younger people? One reason might be that he himself has sat under the influence of an older writer, the great Theodore Dreiser. He also spent considerable time with Carl Sandburg.
I find the pattern instructive. Not only does it mirror my own experience, but it also illustrates what I have found to be a fundamental principle of human experience–that the greatest means of impacting the future is to build into another person’s life.
The process is called MENTORING!”
Blessings and Encouragement to All of You…………..