Writing is a Business

Posted on March 6, 2020December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

There comes a point in every writer's career when they need to start making decisions about what their writing means to them. They need to examine their goals and strategize on how to get there.

For many writers, there is a shift in mindset, where writing moves from being a hobby to being a business.

Before I go much further, I do need to stress that there is nothing wrong with writing as a hobby. I know of a few hobby writers, and they are extremely knowledgeable about the craft. However, if you are looking at publication with the intent to sell your books (and I do mean books plural), then you have migrated past being a hobbyist and into the realm of running a writing business. Exactly how that business looks will depend entirely on your goals and ambitions.

This decision about making writing into a business can come very early within a writer's career, and it should. It doesn't mean that it has to suck all the fun out of writing your stories, but it will help you focus your activities, hopefully becoming more productive and working towards your goals.

So, let's take a look at what writing as a business really means.

It’s a typo! They happen.

Posted on February 28, 2020September 3, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

If there is one constant within the world of publishing, it would be that typos happen. It doesn't matter how many times you go through a piece of written work, there will always be something that's missed. You could have six different sets of eyes on it, and things still slip through. And the longer that piece of writing is, the more likely that errors get missed.

To complicate matters, you might have the cleanest copy on the planet, but errors creep in during typesetting too. At every stage of the writing/editing/publishing process, there is an opportunity for an error to be introduced—and for that error to get missed.

It happens.

I'll be the first to grant you that when a piece of writing is riddled with typos and grammatical errors, it's frustrating to read. However, I have said it time and time again: if a story is gripping, most readers will be willing to overlook the odd typo or grammatical error.

As writers, we need to accept that typos WILL happen.

As editors, we need to accept that we're NOT perfect.

However, there are some people out there who are Grammar Nazis from hell and will publicly shame you for making innocent typographical errors. It's because of these jerks (and that's what they are) that many writers and editors despise the idea of blogging. They're afraid that their writing might be torn to shreds because of those innocent mistakes. But what the Grammar Nazis forget is that mistakes happen.

The production schedules for a blog are tight. Certain steps within the editing process are sometimes missed. The thorough care that we give our novel writing is not given to this short piece that is going to go up on the web within hours. Newspaper articles are much the same in that respect. Mistakes creep in, it's the nature of the beast. But when the public shaming starts…

***Breathe… Just breathe…***

I think it's time to put reality back into the blogging world and remind a few editors that we're only human.

The “Must Have” References for Every Writer, Regardless of Genre

Posted on February 21, 2020June 20, 2024 by Judy L Mohr

There are many resources out there for writers, each looking at a different aspect of writing. Some will go into the nitty-gritty about how to structure a story or build a character. Others will go into narrative voice and points of view. And of course, you have the countless number of resources about punctuation and grammar.

Then you have all the genre specific materials that you might pick up along the way. For me, these include books about weaponry, criminal investigations, herbology, and, probably the most odd edition on my shelf, improvised munitions (complete with actual, functional recipes—thank you, U.S. Army).

If you're anything like me, most of the writing resources you have sitting on your shelf are books that you refer to occasionally. They're useful to have, but they aren't something that are an instant GO-TO for most things you write. Perhaps you've read them through cover to cover once, but they tend to sit on the shelf collecting dust.

But, there will be those books that you just can't do without. You love them so much that you seem to have accumulated multiple copies of them along the way. They are books that are so well loved that your paper copies (if you have paper copies of them) have little tabs added everywhere, marking important pages that you keep going back to. Or the electronic copies are annotated to the point of exhaustion.

And if someone asks to borrow that book... NO WAY! Get your own.

The following list of books is like that for me. These books are volumes that live within arms reach of my desk. For a few of them, I have both paper and digital formats, that way I can always have them with me when I'm writing. Regardless of the fiction genre you write, these books are beyond valuable.

Is it literary, commercial, or upmarket? Publishing industry terms explained.

Posted on February 14, 2020December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

The publishing industry is filled with terms that seem to mean one thing to the industry but something entirely different to everyone else. For the writer who is just entering into the publishing scene, this barrage of new terminology can leave us confused, staring at the word forever trying to discern its meaning.

Three of those words for me were literary, commercial, and upmarket. There really isn't a simple definition for these three terms as they apply to the nature of the narrative used within a story. Here's hoping that today's post can clarify it for at least some writers.

There is NO such thing as an aspiring writer.

Posted on January 31, 2020April 8, 2025 by Judy L Mohr

There is a term that I seen bandied around a lot. I see it in bios for various writers. I see it in promotional materials for writing workshops and courses. I even see it in emails from agents, publishers and editors. And every time that I see it, or hear it, I want to growl. The term that irks me to no end: aspiring writer.

I know it might be silly to have such a negative reaction to what might seem like an innocent term, but how does one actually go about the action of aspiring to be a writer? You can aspire to see your writing in print (or in eBook format if that strikes your fancy). You can aspire to quit your day job to become a full-time writer. You can even aspire to get more hours in the day to dedicate to your writing. But aspire to be a writer?

So, You’re Starting a Blog…

Posted on January 24, 2020December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

At some point within a modern writer's career, they will be forced to face that common internet-based question: To blog or not to blog? I have written about this multiple times now, and I will say it again, hopefully for the last time (though I know it won't be).

A writer should blog ONLY if they want to.

Seriously! If you don't want to blog, then DON'T. It doesn't matter what others say. A blogger who doesn't want to be doing it is so obvious and it could be harmful to your reputation as a writer.

If I was to ask you why you're blogging, there is only one answer I should get: "Because I want to." If you say anything else, then you need to go back and read my post about blogging misconceptions. If after reading that post you want to blog, then by all means, carry on. Otherwise, I'll see you in my next post.

Now that we have your reasons to be blogging out of the way, let's carry on.

I, like many other writers, spend a significant amount of time reading blogs, gleaning whatever information I can about the various aspects of the publishing industry. And there are a lot of things that I see with those blogs that are frustrating and quite frankly a bit of a turnoff.

And it's not just me. I have spoken to other writers, and we're all commenting on the same things. Yet, we see them over and over again, because some content marketer thought they would be a good idea.

It's time to tidy up the blogging world and highlight some of those ever-important Hidden Traps.

In this post, we're going to explore the content of blog posts—possible topics, the language and voice, and the paragraphing, as well as images, headings and those little things that are 100% in your control as the blogger.

So, let's get to it.

Shapeshifter: A Literary Term Defined

Posted on January 17, 2020December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

There are times when the terminology seems to confuse the hell out of me. Sometimes, it’s because the odd term is completely new to my ears. At other times, it’s a term or phrase that has an obscure reference that I spend forever trying to work how such an odd term could mean that. And there are those terms that have a common meaning within pop culture that seem to be at war with the literary meaning.

The term shapeshifter is one of those terms that falls into the last category.

While pop culture would have us believe that the term shapeshifter refers to someone whose physical appearances change, the term actually refers to their behavior.

Writer Blogs and Misconceptions

Posted on January 10, 2020April 26, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

It’s the start of the year, and many writers are setting out to work harder and do more to get their names out there. For some writers, this will mean publishing another book—or a first book as the case may be. For others, this will be building their online presence, looking at their social media options. For others, it will mean a revamp of an old website—or maybe building a new website. And there will be some writers who have decided to try their hand blogging.

Blogging is one of many different ways to build your online platform and following. Through blogging, you can make your website more attractive to readers, enticing them to visit on a regular basis. Through a constant turnover of new web content, you can even improve your SEO ranking.

It's not surprising that many marketers recommend using blogs to drive traffic to a website. And it's not surprising to see so many writers turn to blogging in an attempt to build a following. Hell, I blog in part for that reason. But if you’re not careful, blogging can quickly lead to writer burnout or leave dispirited writers in a state where they just want to give up.

Blogging is NOT for everyone.

It's time to dispel some of the myths surrounding blogging and make people face the realities before they fall into one of the many Hidden Traps associated with online platforms.

How much control do you have over your goals?

Posted on December 6, 2019December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

We're coming to the end of the year, which means that people around the world are going to start reflecting on the year that has just past and are going to start making those New Year's resolutions. It's only nature. A new year. A new start.

Many writers will start their year with new goals too. Some writers decide to finally get their names out there, building their online presence. Others will set the goal of publishing that book. Others just want to finish the dreaded manuscript. Whatever the goal, there will be common threads among writers.

You have likely seen a few messages or posts on other sites regarding SMART goals. This is important, because they do make the goals attainable and a little less daunting. However, there is an additional aspect to goal setting that I want my fellow writers to think about.

How much of your goal is in YOUR control?

How to Write Realistic and Professional Scenes About Shooting (Guest Blog)

Posted on November 15, 2019December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

How to Write Realistic and Professional Scenes About Shooting

by Jay Chambers

Let’s face it, most writers are not gun experts. And gathering reliable data about how gun fights actually happen is difficult, because there are a lot of tall tales out there and combat data collection is spotty, but there are a few things that we know.

The behavior of gun-savvy people is easy to observe and replicate in your writing. Here’s what you need to know to write realistic shooting scenes that make you look like a professional who does their homework.