One of the most important things for beginning writers to figure out is what kind of writing they want to do. This will focus your writing and make it possible for you to be successful in the kind of writing that you really want to be doing. I have been trying to do this myself. I find it difficult to limit myself. Especially in the beginning, I want to test different types of writing for size and to see which one really suits me. This has really been a difficult process for me as I do so many different kinds of writing. As some of you know, I come from an academic background. And when I started writing academically, I wrote in many different areas. Finally, after over fifteen years of writing academically, I have found that my expertise lies in medical ethics, ethics, and philosophical psychology. But it took a long time for me to come to this conclusion. While I came to the realization, I published in epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion and medical ethics. Then I branched out into philosophical psychology and ethics proper. And this is where I found my niche and my passion. My journey as a children’s writer has been a bit different although I started out wanting to try all kinds of different writing. So, I wrote about five picture books for children. Then I wrote a few middle grade and young adult novels. Meanwhile, I was also trying my hand at nonfictional article writing. And this is where I found my true treasure. Several things happened. First, I started getting published. Secondly, I started really, really enjoying what I was writing. It was no longer as much of a chore. And thirdly, I felt that my readers would gain a lot of knowledge from my articles. All of this was very uplifting for me. So, I urge you to find your niche or brand. Don’t worry if it takes you a long time to discover where your brand or niche lies. This process can take years. ~ Happy Niche discovery! ~ Irene