Why does choosing a niche for my writing feel like putting myself in a cage?

Photo by David Hofmann on Unsplash

So, you are a writer, what’s your niche?

This is the first question I get when I tell people I am a writer.

I have to admit that not knowing the answer makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, maybe even dumb sometimes.

I mean, if you want people to take you seriously as a writer you have to tell them what you will write about… right?

I even asked my husband not to tell people I am a writer until I figure out which niche I will focus on.

And so last week when I went on vacation, I decided not to do any writing during this period, but figure out this niche thing, once and for all. I had a whole ten days to brainstorm and come up with something.

Just as advised by various writing websites and successful bloggers; I made a list of topics I would like to write about. It was a long list, and I had to narrow it down.

My intention was to come back from vacation knowing which niche I will focus on. But the more I went through my list and tried to narrow it down, the more I felt like a child who has just learnt to walk, but the mother won’t let her leave the house.

I felt Inhibited. Repressed. Confined.