MENTORSHIP RECIPIENT

Mentorship Recipient: "Speaking to Robin"

Mentor Commentary:
​Matt weinkam

On the Revision Process for "Speaking to Robin"

by ​​Jackie Krogmeier

Before Matt decided to give “Speaking to Robin” a chance it was a short experimental word dump that I had given up on years ago (I’m being harsh but we’ve all felt this way about something we’ve written at one time or another). It was only in reading (and loving) Steven Carey-Walton's “Meat Sweats” that I thought my work might find a home with GSR. And while “Meat Sweats” had much more plot than “Speaking to Robin” did, Matt saw a story beneath the madness and helped me craft it into being! Through email exchanges and in person he was able to encourage me by stressing what had drawn him to my story and also pushing me to see where vital emotional context and character motivation was missing.

The editorial mentorship was a new process for me. Though I have a lot of experience with writing workshops, I’ve never collaboratively edited something with a deadline and a definite goal. Matt’s input forced me to consider the audience more than I usually do in revision and the end result is a story that is both meaningful to me and enjoyable for the reader. Most useful was learning where Matt took interest in the story—it wasn’t always somewhere I had considered worth expanding. Overall, I loved the process and am so happy this story, which I had given up on, is seeing the light.
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Jackie Krogmeier​

Jackie Krogmeier moved to the Cleveland area recently from Lafayette, Indiana where she graduated from Purdue University with degrees in creative writing and history. Her short stories have been published on Typishly, Cagibi, and Crossways magazines. She enjoys swimming in the lake, even as recently as October; exploring new breweries; and spending time with her boyfriend, Peter. She’s a much happier person than most of her writing would convey.