When I started this blog, I intended it to be about teaching. Particularly about the crazy things that happen in a classroom that are wholly unexpected and that education courses never talk about. Which would make a pretty good college course, actually. And I thought would be my niche.
The Oxford Dictionary defines niche as “Denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population.”
Here’s a recent conversation with a student that wouldn’t have made it into a teaching methods textbook. But would attract the teacher niche.
Student: Will the school find out if I break something important?
Me: Yes, they will.
Student: How will they find out?
Me: Well, you just told me.
Student slams down his book bag and walks away because I’m mean.
Me: *sigh*
And there have been a kazillion teaching experiences that have kept me sane in my profession. Such as the pride I felt when a former student of mine came back to visit and speak to my classes about how his high school experiences steered him towards a successful career in the military while getting his college degree.
But what I quickly found is that I really want to write about anything that interests me. My non-niche.
So while I started out thinking that my audience would be the teacher/student/education niche, I quickly realized that I have no niche. Or several niches.
In all areas of our lives, we either evolve, devolve or remain stagnant. Just ask anyone who is in a relationship. One hopes that the relationship evolves into something mutually gratifying, intellectually stimulating and emotionally supportive. Or a combination of the three. But for all the people who have evolved within their relationship, there are a lot of people who have devolved, or their relationship has devolved. Just ask anyone who has been in a divorce.
Writing is the same. Whether writing for a large audience or for a teacher, one hopes that his/her writing evolves. And while I would love for each of you to go back to my first couple of blog posts, I realize that my writing has evolved since then. If you don’t agree with me, feel free to keep those comments to yourselves, ha.
So what are other niches to which I hope to appeal? 
The love of, and interest in, the Kichwa/Quechua culture is definitely one. I WAS INVITED TO THE UNITED NATIONS TO REPRESENT MY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HOW COOL IS THAT!
But what has become the most important change in my writing is finding a niche in my memoir essays. It has been said that we are our past, present and future. We find answers to the present in remembering the past.
Niches, lol. I do have a niche site which is slowly devolving from that. I also have a non-niche site and it was set up to be that way because I do have a lot of different interests, encompassing many different things.
From my different book and television fandoms to interesting articles to something I found on facebook or Reddit which I found cool or interesting or way out there.
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And I was going to add that I like to write in a literal niche in my house, but it seemed too tangential. Isn’t it hard to maintain two separate blogs?
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Lol, nope.
I’ve got my two and several others I help with tangentially.
The one I’m signed in under is for my fanfiction writing and book reviews and referrals. The other is for everything else.
I don’t spend much time on any of them through the week but I do my work on them on the weekends; setting up posts for through the week, replies, reading posts and just generally relaxing an resting up for another blah work week.
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Ha! I can relate to that. I need to quit my day job just to read the blogs I follow.
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lmao! I do too 😀
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I think all blogs evolve and change into something else over time – how could they not when they are authored by complex animals called human beings? And I think it’s important, when a blog is in the visible process of changing, not to try to define its future shape too much.
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I agree. I thought I was going to do something related to positive coaching-type content, and quickly found I wasn’t feeling inspired, nor getting any pleasure out of the process. I’m still aiming at bringing future posts under some kind of “umbrella” theme, and trying to understand better what my readers enjoy – because a great part of the pleasure are the conversations that grow out of blogging.
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I know I ALWAYS agree with you, but that’s because I truly always agree with you lol. The conversations are so important, and as nice for me to read on others’ blogs as on mine.
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We do seem to have lots in common 🙂
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Often, it’s better to blog about what interests you rather than what you think might interest your readers, because then your passion will show through and draw them in. (By the way, my current blog is new, but I’ve been blogging on and off for over a decade.)
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Agreed!
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Yes, I’ve found that works, though I tend to the eclectic, so I’m trying to realise it when I choose something that’s off the radar…(your comment does sound like it’s coming from an experienced blogger 🙂 )
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Eclectic is great….I just try to stay away from politics. I don’t think that anything one says sways the mind of another. Those posts are just contentious (in my opinion) and make people furious or ecstatic, depending on their view. My whole point is that we can evolve personally and professionally. I consider writing my job that I don’t as yet get paid for. So what can start as one thing can end up as another.
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I’ve found that when you learn something, do something or whatever, there’s a moment in the future when that thing comes in handy 🙂
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Eclectic’s good too. Yep, I’m definitely an experienced blogger. My current blog is new but I’ve been ‘at it’ since 2004 on and off. 🙂
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Will be visiting … at this point next weekend 🙂
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Congratulations! We can all learn from each other 🙂
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Good points.
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So cool! Great post and very ‘sane’ too.
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Well something has to keep me sane! Ha
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Ditto!
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It seems to me that writing about one topic would get pretty boring after a while.
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That’s true. So many people write if not constantly, the consistently, on one area of interest. And have large followers for that theme. I’m more like the moment due jour, lol.
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Just as I hit send, I saw that du jour was autocorrected to due jour. Can you please correct it? Only you can on your page 😮
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LOL, never done it before, but will try. I hate when my phone does that.
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I know that with WordPress, unless I’m being an idiot about it, I can edit anyone’s comments on my page but cannot edit mine on their pages. At least it wasn’t a horrible word!
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I can’t find a way to edit your comment. So sorry. I’m still learning the finer points of blog posting. 😦
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That’s ok. Your readers can roll their eyes and think I can’t spell. Ha
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A great post! I am a supervisory paraprofessional at a middle school so I know the endless number stories that can come from that. But having a lot of eclectic interests to write about? Ah, the “spice of life”. I always enjoy your posts! 🙂
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Thank you so much! That’s a real compliment. And I so appreciate the feedback and conversation. There is a special place in heaven for people who work in middle schools! For real.
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🙂
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When I started my blog, I was going to write only about the issues of being middle aged, and I pictured my audience being exclusively middle-aged women. And while that’s still “home base,” my blog has evolved into writing about all areas of my life, and my readers are a very diverse bunch (which is great.) So I agree, the idea of a “niche” is rather fluid. Your blog is very interesting, and personally, I enjoy the variety of topics!
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Thank you! And I am so happy to have discovered your blog. It’s ALWAYS interesting 🙂
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When I started my blog I thought my niche would be that I’d chat about gardening over the garden fence as if my audience was my neighbour. You describe writing evolution so well. I was drawn to your saneteachers blog chat because though I have retired from that I still appreciate the in-school humour of the situations. I now tend to seize on a moment and expand on that. Do enjoy reading your posts. :).
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Thank you, Jenny. I love your blog because I feel as if we are in your yard and you’re pointing things out over a cup of coffee or tea. And because the flora and fauna of your country is so unique to me, I wish I could sit while you explain what everything is. But I have your lovely photos 🙂
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I always chuckle when I come across a new blog and read their first post where they say specifically what they are going to talk about. I just think to myself, they have no idea that they won’t stick this “plan” a few months from now.
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I don’t think you and I lasted even a few months lol.
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I lasted about 2 months and 20 posts lol
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Now I have to go check mine.
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Paul, I only lasted 4 posts ha.
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I have found that I can have a “nitch” (Americanized English), or a “neesh” (French) but don’t want to be Nietzsche (German), because that would be so darkly negative.
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too true….too true
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This really hits home.
The girls wanted to write only on the science subject, but as time goes by other interest are peaking their interest.
We shall see.
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The science of change…..
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Reblogged this on cassidy596 and commented:
http://astore.amazon.com/httpamzn.to1u1q3vi-20?node=2&page=13
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Thank you for reblogging this article!
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