As aspiring writers, it is important that we learn how to market ourselves appropriately. Regardless of your level of experience, a writer cannot perform any type of assignment. In addition, a writer should not attempt to write in every single genre that exists. Why?
For one, there are so many subgenres of writing that it would be impractical to try to become proficient in all of them. Secondly, your level of skill will decrease if you try to take on too much. It is better (as well as more lucrative) to specialize in particular writing fields than try to do everything.
That being said, the next question would naturally be: How do I choose what I would want to specialize in? That is a good question indeed, and this article will look more in depth into the biggest fields of writing. With the following information, hopefully you will be able to make an informed decision into what your writing specializations will be. So let’s take a look at some writing specializations:
- Fiction
The world of fiction is typically associated with the world of make-believe. However, the trick that every good fiction writer knows is that you want your fiction piece (whether it be your characters or setting) to feel very real to your reader. The piece should be so real and vivid that your reader is able to temporarily forget where he/she is because they are so immersed in the world you have created. However, the world that you want to create is going to differ based on your fiction genre. For example, science fiction will focus more on worlds that are not on Earth or worlds that do not exist only on Earth.
- Nonfiction
No, non-fiction is not just the opposite of fiction. Nonfiction consists in portraying real events in the most objective light possible. As a nonfiction writer, you are likely to spend time interviewing several people in order to get first-hand accounts of particular events. You may also spend more time describing the environment in which you intend to write. In addition, non-fiction writers tend to put more emphasis into accurately describing the environment that they are writing about. While fiction writers work to recreate a scene, nonfiction writers work to accurately and objectively portray the scene they are currently in.
- Creative nonfiction
As far as genres go, creative nonfiction is fairly new. However, the genre has become increasingly popular because of the flexibility it gives fiction and non-fiction writers. Creative nonfiction intends to portray real events in a creative way. Therefore, nonfiction writers can use their interviewing skills but can portray the interview in any way they like. Fiction writers can use their skills in recreating scenes to describe how they felt about a real event. As such, there are a lot of different possibilities in creative nonfiction!
Now remember when I said that you should not do something outside of your genre? Well that is not completely true. Writers may dabble in two or more of these genres. And if you do that, that can be okay because the skills offered in one genre (such as fiction) may help you in your principal genre. In addition, there are several subgenres within each of the aforementioned categories. So let’s get started! Use this article as a jump-off point to find more information about the genre that interests you the most. Hopefully (and with time and dedication), you will find the correct niche.
