Tag Archive | writers

Your niche in the literary world

One of the definitions for niche is a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing: How do we know just where this elusive, suitable, and appropriate place is when it comes to our writing?

It’s said you must write of what you know and understand, what you love and what you feel. I could choose to write about the care and keeping of coy fish, but it would be nothing more than ad ignoratum as I know nothing of real value regarding coy fish.

I would be recycling information gleaned from reading the words of those who actually do know a thing or two about the subject. This isn’t to say I couldn’t write about the topic, but it would be lacking in personal insight.

Perhaps a reader with just as little knowledge of coy fish would think my piece adequate, but those who have a true appreciation for the large, colorful, coy might find themselves looking for something more. If you don’t believe in or have knowledge pertaining to what you are writing, your work will more than likely show it.

If you aren’t certain where your writing strengths are, you shouldn’t limit yourself to a particular genre before trying others. When I began writing, my goal was to write for children. I tried and I tried, it was awful, but I was so determined I overlooked everything else.

As I sat to write in my journal one evening, I found myself reading instead of writing, I realized I was trying to write in a style which simply did not suit me, my journal read like the pages of a book I didn’t want to put down. I realized it was more my style of writing, stream of consciousness . . . bringing life to the page by painting emotional pictures with words. Every now and again I still attempt a children’s story; I’ve yet to write one worthy of sharing.

If you’re writing something that captivates even yourself, you may just have found that cozy place of penned perfection to slip into. I’ve yet to find my exact niche, the one which completely defines my voice in print. I write what words find their way to my fingertips. Every thought I pen is a piece of me, a heartbeat left to forever give life to the page.

I often write of love and life. Poetry and prose flow forth until darkness makes its way to the page, only to give reign to the light of knowledge as my words transform to teach and inform in articles covering topics I feel strongly about or have experienced and researched myself.

I ponder the possibility; perhaps not having a niche is my niche after all. My eclectic soul, left to roam the parchment with the quill of my choice.

If you write of things you’ve no passion for, things you haven’t knowledge of, your niche will never be found. If you write what flows forth from deep within . . . it may find you.

Crystal R. Cook

Keepers of Time

Jun15

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which make thousands, perhaps millions, think.” Lord Byron

The world as we know it could not exist if it were not for those first writers who began to chronicle events, creating pictures with words to tell of their experiences, observations, inventions and advancements. Our earliest histories have been preserved because a writer was born to write of them. Legends became legends with the stroke of a writer’s hand. Folklore and fantasy live and thrive between the pages of books written by the keepers of words.

The wisdom’s contained within the Bible, penned on ancient scrolls are treasured; the lessons our Lord taught when he walked the earth have stood the test of time, and to this day are cherished and serve the purpose they were meant to serve. What if they had only been heard and never chronicled? They will remain forever for they were written.

Old pieces of parchment, rich with the ink of our forefathers still remain to serve the country they helped create. We can look upon the Constitution, each word a piece of art; the words themselves are as beautiful as the message they hold. Great care was taken in the writings of those who helped shape our country. They left a small part of themselves in everything they penned; imagine the time taken and the care given to each stroke of the quill. Knowledge gained becomes knowledge lost if not preserved.

In days long past writing was an art, cherished and mastered. Before telegraphs and telephones, e-mails and text messaging, people poured their souls onto page after page. Their letters had meaning and purpose and those that have survived the years are cherished. Letters of love and loss, letters of hope, good news and bad news . . . all penned to a page. Moments in time captured forever.

Men wrote of their love, leaving their brides something to hold and cherish in their absence. Mother’s left mementoes of great worth to be passed down in the form of words etched onto notes and letters, their thoughts and wisdom remain long after they part from this world. With each cherished scrap they once held within their own hands, a small part of them lives on.

I believe every word I write is a beat of my heart. As long as they are read, I will, in some way, live on. My life’s ink is soaked into the pages I leave behind. In my words I shall always be.

The power of the written word cannot be measured. The words have yet to be found to describe its value . . .

Crystal R. Cook

Coffee Does Not Equal Food . . . I beg to differ my dear man.

May30

I was sitting at my computer one morning, keys clicking and words pouring, when all of a sudden I get a pop-up. I hate those things so I always have them blocked, this one snuck right on by though, It said . . .

“Coffee does not equal food! I love you!”

First of all, coffee HAS to be a food group, they just forgot to give it its own spot on the pyramid. Secondly, I love you? That wasn’t creepy at all. Upon closer examination, I see my husband had found a way to set little alarm messages to pop up at certain times of the day. That was the first.

I tend to forget about the world around me when I sit down to write and I often forgo the essential snacks and meals I should partake of. I remember having two articles to write and without any conscious effort on my part, I think I managed to drink four cups of coffee, got all of my writing AND my proofreading done PLUS managed to squeeze in some time on Facebook. I did not however, eat anything but a few glucose tablets.

For some people, this may not be too terribly bad, but I happen to be diabetic, so my sugars are rather off when I have those days, it always gets my dear hubby a bit peeved. This time, he had dispensed with the lecture and simply set my computer to turn on me. The next day, there were more pop up messages for me.

“Put down the cup and eat something!”

Geesh, fine, I will. I grabbed a yogurt and sat back down, then something totally creepy happened. After a few bites and a few more sentences another message invaded the screen –

“One yogurt isn’t going to cut it! EAT!”

Does the man have cameras on me? Is there a P.I. outside a window or something? Am I really that predictable?

“Make some toast!”

FINE! Enough already, I have things to do! Toast in hand, crumbs on the keyboard and yogurt half empty I see –

“Put peanut butter on it!”

I kind of wanted to hurt him a little bit at this point so naturally, I made another cup of coffee. Next time he hacks my life center I’d better see some pop-ups saying things like, “I love you and I care for you and you are wonderful and I cherish and adore you blah, blah, blah.”

I suppose the messages he sent my way really meant the same thing. I still say coffee is a food though.

Crystal R. Cook