Kiwi Judy L Mohr is a writer, developmental editor, writing coach, amateur photographer, and a science nerd with a keen interest in internet technologies and social media security. Her knowledge ranges from highly efficient ways to hide the bodies through to how to improve your SEO rankings for your websites. When she isn't writing, editing, or doing something withing the local writing community, she can often be found with a camera in her hand enjoying the world around her- no doubt scouting for locations to hide the bodies. (Shh... Don't tell anyone.) Follow her crazy adventures on her blog or on Instagram.Q: You write both fiction and nonfiction. Do you find it difficult to switch between the two? How different is your writing process for fiction and nonfiction?
A: The biggest difference between writing fiction and nonfiction for me is the voice. Within my fiction, I'm heavily focused on trying to tell the story of the characters, so I'm in their heads, talking like they do. However, for my nonfiction, it's my own head and my own voice, talking like I do in real life... for the most part.
That different voice means that writing fiction is slower for me. I have to put more thought into it, constantly asking myself if the character would really say or think that.
This is not to say that I don't think when writing nonfiction, because I do. If anything, I overthink. Would my readers really be interested in this bit of information, or have I dived into the weeds a bit to far? It's a balance that has taken me over a decade to find.
The other major difference between fiction and nonfiction is how the "book" starts its life. Fiction starts as random thoughts and ideas (random scenes that don't have a home yet), but they are secret and never shared until there is a home found for the ideas. Whereas my nonfiction often starts its life as a series of blog posts. When enough blog posts are written on a certain topic, that's when I look at turning those blog posts into a book.
Q: Do you carefully plot out every scene or see where the characters take you? What's your writing process?
A: I'm a plantser, with pantser tendencies. This means that I'll start with a vague idea, but I write whatever comes to mind. This allows me to explore random ideas, things that I never would have considered otherwise. However, eventually, enough of the material is present where I need to start "shaping" it into something that makes sense.
For my fiction, this process normally results in what I call a "barf" draft, where all ideas found the page in one big jumbled mess. I often need to spend a significant amount of time teasing out the plot, deliberately taking the time to write that full plot synopsis. That's when the real work begins, writing the full scenes and putting flesh on the bones.
For my nonfiction... Well, I've already mentioned that my nonfiction often starts as a blog series. Turning those blogs into a book requires that I work out a full outline, identifying what questions each chapter needs to answer. Then it's populate the manuscript with the blogs already written and fill in the gaps. This process makes for fast writing of nonfiction.
Q: What particular challenges do you face in your writing? What is difficult for you? Do you have any tips for other writers who face similar challenges?
A: The biggest challenge during writing is constantly reminding myself that writing is HARD.
We humans want things to be easy, because... well... Let's face reality, most of us are lazy, and I'm no exception there. So, I will often default to writing the easy stuff first... then freak out with the mountain that I have yet to climb. But when I force myself to face the difficult writing... It is so satisfying at the top... Then I realize that the mountain I just climbed was only the little one.
Gah! Writing is HARD!
Q: You're a developmental editor. Did you use other editors or do everything yourself?
A: Yes and no. I will always use a copyeditor (though the budgets are incredibly tight on that front), but I won't always use a developmental editor. That's not to say that I haven't used a developmental editor in the past, but sometimes a manuscript doesn't need one.
That said, I will ALWAYS use beta readers. Even if I hired a developmental editor, beta readers are part of my process.
Sometimes, what I thought was on the page wasn't actually on the page, and we won't know that until someone else reads our manuscripts.
For my fiction, beta reader comments have led to total rewrites of certain scenes to add clarity. For the nonfiction, whole sections have been added. However, sometimes, a sentence was added to clarify the audience for a section, saying something like, "If you didn't understand anything that I just said, then this idea is definitely not for you." But without those beta reader comments, I don't know what a manuscript really needs from a reader's perspective.
Q: Can you talk a little about your editing experience for new writers?
A: I'm blessed to have worked as a professional developmental editor since 2015. This has given me the tools I need to tear apart my own writing and make it bleed. But my editorial skills are part instinct and part learned skills... and they're skills anyone can learn if they are willing to put in the time and energy needed to learn them.
For a new writer, learning those editorial skills starts with the fearful step of sharing your writing with others. And you can't take to heart anything that anyone says. Learning how to step back and see the comments and feedback for what they really are is a skill that ALL writers seeking publication need to learn.
Then it becomes a matter of finding the right set of eyes to read your work to provide you with the feedback you need. And once you have the feedback, it's up to the writer to decide what to do with it. Sometimes, the decision is to "ignore".
Because I have the years of experience as a professional developmental editor, I'm able to treat myself as though I was my own client. Though I don't write myself an editorial report. But I still have the manuscripts that come back with "This didn't make sense?" or "Would the character really say that?" or "You don't need to show AND tell." And I laugh my head off whenever I see the flaws that I've just pointed out in a client manuscript in my own manuscript- because it does happen. He-said-she-said fest galore. Oopsie.
But this is all part of the process.
Q: Are you a self/hybrid or traditional published author? Why did you decide this was the path for you?
A: I'm technically a hybrid author, with some works traditionally published and others self-published. However, I've elected to be primarily indie-published these days, using my own publishing imprint.
It wasn't an easy decision, and one that took me years to decide upon, but the publishing landscape has changed so much in just the last five years alone.
I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that Covid changed so many things. But the publishing industry was flipped upside down because of the pandemic.
Acquisition trends changed overnight. Bookstores changed how they were purchasing books (assuming they survived the pandemic). And digital format significantly increased in popularity (particularly audiobooks).
Add the mess that came in because of the introduction of AI-generative technologies, and the publishing landscape today no longer resembles what it was in 2019.
Meanwhile, authors are now required to do the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing, particularly in the online world.
But to be honest, the nail in the coffin for the traditional path for me was to see the clauses that are being added to the contracts of some of my writing buddies. It's in their contracts that the publisher reserves the right to use AI to produce translations and audiobooks. Granted, their books would never have been in audio or in other languages otherwise, but I can't trust AI to get English right. How can I trust it to get another language right when I don't speak that language to check on the mess? It was at that point that I just gave up on the traditional path.
I only have so much energy to go around. And I have a certain standard that I hold myself accountable to. I can't be wasting my energy trying to fix other people's messy adventures with AI. I have enough on my plate fixing human-generated messes (including the messes I generate for myself- and I've made quite a few over the past few years).
Q: Can you describe your publishing experience for writers who hope to publish one day?
A: Everyone's publishing experience is going to be different, because everyone will be bringing to the table a different set of skills that can be leveraged as part of the process. And that's the biggest lesson that I've learned through this journey.
I have strengths and weaknesses, and I need to be prepared to hire someone to help fill in the gaps of my weaknesses.
Notice above I used the term indie-publishing, because that is the better way to think of self-publishing. Like independent films, you're not doing this alone. You have a team of people working together, each person leaning into their strengths.
For those writers who elect to head down this path themselves, think of yourself as either an authorpreneur or the executive producer of the project known as "Your Book". You're bank-rolling the venture, but you're not necessarily doing all the work yourself. And that idea makes a huge difference.
BUT all of this takes time.
I refuse to rush any stage of the process, just to get a book out there. If something isn't ready to go when I said it would go, I'll move the publication date. I would rather run the risk of losing those "release day" sales and put a quality product out there than to rush to market and have something tank in the reviews. The former is a position that one can easily recover from.
"One step at a time." I say that to myself at least once a day.
Dancing In The Purple RainIn a poisoned world, Michaella, a genetically engineered telepath, uncovers a web of lies and implanted memories when her closest friend is killed. Michaella must now rely only on her personal AI and a 200-year-old playing card as she attempts to maintain her grip on reality to save herself and future generations from becoming emotionless automations.
Dancing in the Purple Rain is available from a variety of retailers. For a full list, visit: https://judylmohr.com/books/dancing-in-the-purple-rain/
