marcoujor: To Niche or Not?

Some writer friends recently initiated a discussion on the subject of a writer’s niche.  I found this worthy of some thought which leads me to seeking your opinion on the subject as well.

By definition, the word niche, a noun, has three interpretations...

1. A shallow recess, like one in a wall to display a statue or other ornament

​Oh my gosh, who has been gazing at my writer’s studio? My think tank, which tends to look more like The Titanic on a good day has (12) cabinets of various shapes and sizes on the walls.

​Interestingly enough, not one of these (12) niches has a specific theme. Instead I am able to showcase tiny treasures given to me from members of my family, friends, students and co-workers.

Every single treasure has its own story. I find myself drawn to sharing some of these memories throughout my writing.

​2. A comfortable or suitable position in life or employment

By profession, my niche is nursing. Even within this vast field, I recognize we all have our specific areas of interest and expertise.

I find my writing contains a fair share of life experience and lessons learned throughout my nursing journey of patient care, leadership/administrative positions, and teaching.

I seem to write with regularity on the subjects of holistic principles, self-care strategies, and mindfulness. This writing simultaneously helps me to practice what I preach and teach to those friends and students I encounter along the way.

3. A specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service

​This is the definition that most fits the issue. Specifically, does my writing appeal to a particular audience?

In my case, the question might be, “Should I focus my writing more to appeal to a particular audience?”  If yes, who should that audience be?

A friend recently told me how upset she was that a blogger, she’d never met but followed religiously, was shutting down his website.  

This man’s niche was diabetes management for years, when life threw him an ironic curveball. He changed his niche to his journey of coping with a diagnosis of cancer. As months progressed, he became too weak to continue his writing and he was gracious enough to let his followers know.

As for me, I am amazed that I have been blogging steadily on a weekly schedule for over three years. I take this seriously and have missed one week that I recall in this time, which feels like a good track record.

The readers that I know through comments, emails and conversations are all the motivation I need to keep writing. Many of my readers go the extra mile in sharing my work in a variety of social media forums.  

As a result, my readership steadily grows. According to my current Weebly statistics, I have...

• 1038 unique visitors / week
• 6162 page views / week  

There is a feeling of comfort and anonymity when I check these figures. I know about 10% of my unique visitors are my ‘regulars’,  who have subscribed and keep in some kind of direct contact with me.

I’m honored that others take the time to read my musings and recognize that not everyone has the time, or desire, to leave a comment, or even formally subscribe.

While I have your attention, to niche or not...

Image via John Hain of Pixabay. Click the image to view his gallery there.

​I would love to hear your thoughts on my writing. More specifically, is there a particular style or subject that I write on that holds your interest more than others?

​As a teacher, I appreciate hearing all sides. And so, is there a particular style or subject that holds little to no interest for you?  

Do you enjoy guest posts or interviews when featured?

Have you shared my work with your circle of friends? If so, what kinds of writing do you tend to share?

Would you like to see more music featured? I am forever discovering artists I love and would love to share, yet music of all genres through the years touches my heart and I enjoy sharing songs I know at least some of my readers are also drawn to.

I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section, via email or even through a note in the Contact Me section of this website.

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ShoutOuts

☙ Ginger: A Celebration! Via WarnerWords

☙ Temptation of The Wind via Fireside with Rolly

☙ OrganicAlternatives: Confuse the brain to ease the pain via flashPress

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Thank you for stopping by my virtual den.  

Hope to hear from you as you have the time,

mar