My friend Lynette is a talented writer with a crystal-clear style and a charming novel out—Nature Lessons. But these days, she’s taken a step back from writing fiction to work as a free-lance ghost writer. She loves it. It’s challenging and fun—and there’s the added benefit of being on the receiving end of some genuine appreciation from clients.
Another friend of mine, Kris, devotes much of her writing time to spiritual articles which she publishes in small, mainly Catholic, journals. She’s written a novel and many short stories, but it’s in her religious articles that she’s found success. She doesn’t get a lot of money from them, but she has made a name for herself, and gotten hundreds of publications
Many other writers I know have found unique ways of using their skills. My pal Dale is working on a memoir, but he also writes content for websites. Cate writes articles for cat magazines when she’s not writing short fiction. Russ writes for email newsletters.
What all of these writers have in common is that they have found—or created—niches for themselves. A space in the writing universe where they can enjoy success.
When I was I was getting my M.F.A. in writing at Vermont College, it seemed like every prose writer there was determined to become a renowned novelist or memoirist. The poets were all more-or-less happy just writing—you might not think of poets as realists, but most of the ones I knew in grad school at least realized they weren’t likely to become rich and famous. But the prose writers, their heads were in the clouds.
It seemed like none of us could think about success in any other way. Your future was either in bestsellers (or at least good sellers) or it was nowhere. No one said, “I’m going to try my hand at writing for the web,” or “I’d like to write for True Confessions” or “Crafts magazines are always looking for articles.” We all shared a very narrow, specific, and nearly unattainable idea of what success meant.
Looking back, I can’t believe how wrongheaded it was. It was as if we were all setting ourselves up for years of disappointment. As if we couldn’t even see the dozens of opportunities for writers to use their skills, do good work, and grow a reputation.
These days, I tell my coaching clients that one of the best things they can do for their writing lives is to find a space in which they are successful. If you happen to be publishing books that are flying off the shelves, congratulations! You’re one of the 1%. But if you’re not, you can still make it. You just need to find a niche that works for you. That niche might be a temporary waystation on the road to bigger things—or it might be the perfect place for you to establish yourself permanently.
There are dozens—probably hundreds—of avenues for talented writers out there. And, with a little ingenuity, you can create your own. Think about it: Do you need to be rich and famous to be a successful writer? Or do you just need to be using your skills in a important way?