The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches as a Mentor Text

My first novel, actually my first two novels, are cozy fantasy. The first one, my thesis novel, is a cozy witch fantasy. For one of my MFA courses I chose The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna as my mentor text. It’s been a solid choice.

Mentor texts are instructive and allow us to dive deep into analyzing how a successful author in our own genre executed their craft. These novels allow us to pick up on plot elements, themes, tropes, tone, and style of the genre.

If you’re a new or struggling writer, I highly recommend choosing a beloved or favorite novel in your niche sub-genre to study. Pay attention to the plot, character development, and transitions between scenes, chapters, and acts. Notice the weaving of details throughout the work, complicating and enriching the story as it moves along. Outline the entire novel as you go through it again, making both broad sweeps and diving deep into details.

This process of working with a mentor text can level up your writing game and get you past some of the notorious road blocks to writing engaging fiction.