"That's Just Who I Am": 3 Reasons to Change Your Writing Niche

My mother is a non-fiction writer. She's a published author in Spanish, with a publishing deal and six books under her belt to showcase her skill.

All my life, I staunchly held my position that I could never bear to write about the real world, not when my imagination was far more interesting (can you tell I grew up on a steady diet of Anne of Green Gables?) Mom wrote non-fiction, I wrote fiction. She taught, I told tales. That was the way of the world, and I had no desire to change it.

Enter: College.

A budding English major, I badly needed to figure out what career I'd take my degree in, mostly to avoid the dreaded "Oh, English? What do you want to do with that?" comments.

So, I reached out to a few internships and landed one in editorial which soon led to a second working for The Gospel Coalition. I was simply an editorial intern, so my job mostly revolved around copyedits and prepping things in the pipeline for online publication on WordPress. Easy enough.

A couple of months later my supervisor invited me to pitch my own article idea and an author to the editorial team. I worked hard on my pitch, and when the time came, the editorial team proposed I write it myself.

Write... non-fiction. I hadn't faced anything more daunting as a writer in my life. I wrote a 40k-word manuscript at 11, but couldn't imagine myself writing a 750-word article. Regardless, I slugged through it, and my first published work was finished.

The worst part? I enjoyed it. People liked it. And so I wrote another and then another, and I'm currently in the middle of my fourth for publication. Aside from that, I took a creative non-fiction course this semester, forcing me to write about my OWN life, something I always struggled to do.

In every way shape and form, the last 2 years have stretched me as a writer far from the bounds of the safe little genre box I had built for myself. Not only did I learn new skills, but I discovered new ways for my writing to serve God and advance the gospel. To my surprise, I concluded that I had been wrong. I wasn't just a fiction writer. And you shouldn't be either! Here's why:

1. Palette Cleansing

As much as "practice, practice, practice" still rings true and always will, sometimes the best way to write a better book is to write something else.

By writing non-fiction, I've been able to have a source of writing that isn't centered around my characters, and gives me a break from crafting a novel. It's like working out a different part of your body (or so my boyfriend tells me, since exercise and I are not friends).

2. Career Stepping Stones

It's no secret that writing is neither very profitable or stable, unless you make it big-time, which many of us likely won't at first.

Writing different kinds of pieces opens up more doors in the writing industry and makes you more versatile. Free-lance writing, copywriting, all of these can not only improve your skills but give you another way to gain credit as a writer.

3. Marketing 101

Getting your name out into the world is no easy feat for us writers, but having published works even if they aren't books can go a long way.

If people are reading your other pieces, they're more likely to stumble upon your fiction work, your writergram account or more! Having read an article or blog post or essay that you've written makes them far more likely to want to read your debut novel, which they otherwise might not have as much interest in.

Being a writer is a tricky thing that often feels like we're grasping at straws to succeed. However, we also can sometimes be our own worst enemies. By not trying different things, we walk past plenty of doors that otherwise might have swung right open for us and lead to amazing new things.

I implore you, fellow writer, try that something new! Write something different and expand your horizons. You'd be amazed the things you'll learn and the success you might find. It might seem daunting at first, but I promise, sometimes the grass IS greener on the other side (or at least just as green.)