It is important when you are beginning to get to know yourself as a writer, and when you discover what you are, don’t let anyone deter you from your goals. This means that at the beginning of your writing career, it is okay to experiment. You should try different kinds of writing, and write for different ages. I write for kids and teens. And since I have only been writing for a few years, I haven’t yet decidedly chosen the age of my readership. I am trying my hand at writing picture books, I have written over ten picture books. I am also trying my hand at middle grade novels, I have written three such novels, and I am writing a lot of nonfictional books for teens and tweens. Am I doing something wrong? Should I be writing on ONE domain only? The more I think about it the more I think that isn’t necessary at the beginning. How will you ever know if you excel in one type of writing if you are writing for only one market? I think it is important for writers to try as many different markets as possible. And to gain freelance publications, you must publish in a lot of no-pay and low-pay markets. Some of these aren’t even directly for teens and tweens. And that is allowed in the beginning as well to gain publication credits. So, fellow writers, don’t limit yourself to a few readership levels when you begin writing. Just experiment with all kinds of different writing and have some fun with it! ~ Irene