The Writer’s Portable Mentor, Third Edition
By Priscilla Long
University of New Mexico Press
Pub Date November 3, 2026
- ISBN-13 978-0826370099
The third edition of a comprehensive writing guide that has been a game changer for thousands of writers.
From writing the virtuoso sentence to structuring your story, essay, or book, The Writer’s Portable Mentor offers deeply craft-oriented guidance to writers at all levels, from beginner to advanced. Readers of this new edition will find thoroughly revised chapters on structure and two new structures, the enumeration and the abecedarian; new model sentences and model paragraphs throughout the book; and the final section, “Getting Your Work Into the World,” complete rewritten and updated to account for the continuing changes in the publishing and blogging world. Priscilla Long trains the prose writer to write with a poet’s ear and to observe with a painter’s eye and offers extensive strategies for remaining happily productive and for navigating the current publishing industry to get the work out into the world. The Writer’s Portable Mentor remains a must for every writer’s bookshelf!
“A treasure trove of information and inspiration. Every writer should own a copy of this book.” —Lori Ann Bloomfield, author of The Last River Child
“A well-organized and immensely helpful guide for writers at all levels to jump-start their creativity, refine their work, and approach the realm of virtuosos.” —Shelf Awareness
“I have never seen anything quite like Priscilla Long’s book. It presents a true mentor for the advanced writer: sophisticated, demanding, and kind.” — Maya Sonenberg, author of Bad Mothers, Bad Daughters
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