Carrie Ann Golden

Writing: Should I Find a Niche?

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For this month’s IWSG Blog Hop, my question is this: As a writer, should I settle with a “niche”?

I discovered writing by “accident” at the age of eleven, and been writing on and off ever since.  In 2007, my first (short) story was published.  Now that I’m a full-time homemaker, I write almost every day.

Yet, I haven’t decided which form or genre or niche to settle on.

I’ve dabbled in poetry,  screenwriting, essays, journaling/memoir, serial fiction, flash and short stories and have written in almost every genre (except for historical fiction).

What’s my problem?

I enjoy writing all of them.

I’ve been told that I should write whatever my heart and soul desire.

So, why am I so conflicted?

Although I have published many forms of writing but they’ve all been “short” (meaning under 10,000 words), I still have hope to publish a novel one day and that’s my dilemma.

If I write and publish a book in a particular genre, does that mean I’m stuck with that genre in the foreseeable future?  Or, can I jump around from one genre to another? My main concern is confusing my readers especially if they enjoy reading only that particular genre and not the others.

Or, perhaps I’m making a huge mountain out of a molehill?

 

 

19 comments

  1. I don’t have a ton of experience since I still consider myself a newbie to this whole writing thing. My advice is to write what you love. Once you get your first novel done you may find that you love that genre for full length works but can still do other genres for the shorter pieces. Or maybe not and you might write two completely different full length pieces. I say don’t worry about limiting yourself and just do what comes naturally then worry about the rest later.

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  2. I’m struggling with assigning a genre to my work. It’s got elements of a couple different ones. I jokingly mentioned that I should just create my own genre. You’re welcome to join me. 😉

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  3. I haven’t dabbled in a lot of genres outside Mainstream/Literary Fiction in my stories. But I’m willing to give it a shot. I think it’s possible to be known for multiple genres, though I think it can be tricky. I think most people will recognize your voice and style, no matter what genre you write in.

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  5. I think you should try it and like mentioned before, you’ll gain new fans. Or, I’ve seen some authors use different pen names for different genres, too. That may be an option, too, if you’re still worried.

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  6. Write what you love. It will show in the work. I write in 3 different genes: science fiction romance, romantic suspense, and cozy mysteries. My best selling books on Kobo, surprisingly, are the sci-fi romances.Not everyone likes sci-fi, esp. my sisters. For them, I write the others. Okay, for myself, too. LOL So I alternate releasing the books. Do what works for you. Best wishes.

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    • Thank you, Diane 🙂 I really like your idea of releasing books (alternating): have not thought of doing it that way. Never heard of Kobo. Is that a publishing company or a platform?

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  7. Your niche doesn’t have to be genre. It can be something unique about your writing. For instance, I write mystery, suspense, horror, YA, and I have a romance in the works. The common theme across everything I publish is my voice, the fact that it’s character driven, and the dark themes or undertones.

    The type of pigeonholing you describe was definitely a mechanism of traditional publishing. These days, with the advance of indies, it’s really opened up, both for those traditionally and indie published. And that’s a great thing!

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  8. There are quite a few multi-genre authors out there, so it can be done. What I’ve seen many of them do is they’ll have a separate mailing list for each genre (or genre group like speculative fiction). This way they can promote the appropriate books to each group of fans. I’ve also known some who have multiple pen names. I think the first would likely be easier though.

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  9. I’ve never agreed with sticking in a genre as a writer, and do not plan to myself. As a writer you are a story teller. And you SHOULD be able to tell a story no matter what genre it falls under.

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