by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: July 19, 2010   Last Updated: February 09, 2012

Writing as a hobby provides a body of work that might be fine, but that body of work might need to be read by more people! The process of taking the hobby to a higher level is one which requires some realistic goal setting, some time, some focus and some learning.

If the goal is to publish the award winning novel, well good luck. If the goal is to gain a loyal audience, to improve the writing so that it appeals to a broader audience, and to get feedback, then the internet is the place to be! If the goal is to get out into the real world and to interact with other humans, then either the internet or a local writing club or group might fill the bill.

First,  get to know the business and the legalities of writing. There are copyright issues that need to be understood before you publish your prized work anywhere, especially at internet writing sites that may take the rights to unlimited use of your copyright. If you feel that the work is priceless, copyright a big batch of work at a time before publishing.

There are different formats for submitting work to publishers or to writer's contests. There are issues of plagiarism, where something that you never published on line ends up there anyway!

The best option is to find a lawyers for the arts organization and to use their services, classes, seminars and forums for getting an understanding about the writing industry that will grow over time. A classic book "Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents" is worth a trip to the bookstore for annual updated editions. There are other writer's guides, writer's forums and writer's help sites, but be careful to choose the most reputable ones.

This will give you a good start in understanding the serious nature of your business endeavor and will help you to avoid mistakes that new writers often make, especially when their work is good enough to make a splash.

Second, if you need help with grammar, spelling, style and the more advanced aspects of writing, there are many helpful articles at Helium and there are comprehensive help sites for free online. This does not mean that you cannot write well, but many times, writers need to learn new and different tricks and styles that go with different audiences.

A technical, medical or legal writer, for example, may need to adapt the writing for different and new audiences who look for a more casual and reader friendly approach, or for terms to be transitioned into concepts

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