I had an interesting discussion this week after I happened to mention my favourite novelist is Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the author of Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude.
But you’re a mystery writer, she said.
Am I? Am I really?
Certainly there is no reason why a mystery writer, or a romance writer, or technical writer could not appreciate the richness of Marquez’s work. But what really intrigued me was what came next: she had no idea, until talking with me and visiting this website that I also wrote poetry and have had it published in literary journals. More than that, she was honestly confused how I could have ever done such a thing.
This is becoming a trend in our culture. It reminded me of the many times, while in the business world and often wearing a suit and tie, I would bump into clients on the weekend who had a hard time recognizing me in jeans. Friends who had known me for years, on the other hand, could not even picture me wearing a tie.
How easily accustomed we become to one side of the people we know.
And how easily we each tend to conform to the image others have of us.
In an age where readers scan and browse more than we actually read, specialization is becoming increasingly important, and I’m finding this a concern. I have been mentoring a few friends on their blogs and each of them seems to question not only on what they blog about, but even the type of information they post on Twitter or Facebook, for fear of alienating an audience that, they believe, expects them to stay within their chosen niche.
If someone enjoys reading Marquez, should that mean they should not be able to enjoy a good mystery novel, or a science fiction novel? Should a yoga instructor not also be able to build a tool shed?
Don’t misunderstand me. There are times and places for niches, especially when it comes to branding and marketing. Do you remember when McDonald’s tried to sell pizza?
But when it comes to human beings, niches have a dangerous potential of limiting our exposure to new ideas and our overall growth. Branding of human beings turns a human being into a caricature. Ask Stephen King, John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Jim Carey, or Michael Jordan.
There is an old saying, “Jack of all trades, and master of none.” However, there is another word, much older than that phrase, “arete”, from the ancient Greeks which meant sustained excellence in all manner of things. You may recall that is how Homer described Odysseus.
I often smile when I think of an ancient citizen of Athens meeting a modern Olympian and being told – “No I only speed skate. Nothing else.”
Now, I do have several other websites that focus on specific niches and it would be wrong to begin mixing all of my interests and skill sets from one niche to another, but here is the difference – none of those websites are called DavidWeedmark.com.
Be careful with branding and niches. Success in only one niche, dug deeply, may one day be the grave in which you bury your career.
I would like to close this with a quotation from another of my favourite authors. I read these words as a teenager, and have kept them beside me as a reminder for most of my life:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
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{ 3 comments }
This is so true. For years I worked in a very specific industry – designing collectable dolls for Mattel. Now that I’m out in the world trying to freelance I’ve realized that the skills I learned on the job, while good, are not nearly enough. My clients want me to be able to do much more, especially on the computer, and I’m struggling to keep up with the times. I’m also need to branch out into new kinds of designs if I want to make money, there’s only so much need for a doll designer, which as you can imagine is very very niche.
Designing dolls sounds like a wonderful way to make a living Heather. I can’t help but think all the directions you could branch out in! What other passions do you have that could be folded into such a unique skill?
I was just going to scan and browse this article, but you scared me into reading it! Nah, just messing. I have read lots of your posts, and quickly discovered you get around!
When my sister and I decided to “combine” our fitness and humor worlds, we quickly discovered that people were thrown by the combo. Ah well. Keep writing. And now I know you do mysteries! My favorite writer as a teen was Vonnegut. Then I discovered Le Carre.
See ya!
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