You Don't Need a Writing Niche

I was talking to a new writer who had just found out that I was a writer. And after a few detours, the inevitable question came up:

“What’s your niche?”

There was nothing wrong with the question, but everyone’s insistence on trying to box you in is irritating. As if, as human beings, we could only master one field and disregard everything else. I spared him a scathing tirade with a smile, since I knew I’d save it for you.

The problem with niches stems from all the grifters of the 2020–2024 era who pushed the idea that “you need a niche to write online” on their followers. Their niche was telling you bullshit so you’d pay them a few euros to become a generic writer. If you were mid enough to follow their advice, there’s a 99% chance you’re rekt today. Because between then and now, AI has emerged and become far more capable than many humans in almost every field.

The world isn’t looking for experts anymore because… they’ve got one right in their pocket, 24/7. The very concept of focusing on a niche is crumbling because now you’re competing against an unlimited robotic force.

Don’t put words in my mouth. Wanting to write about just one subject is far from stupid. It works if you see writing as a business (nothing wrong with that) and you know exactly what you’re doing. But if you’re a writer who wants to play with words and have fun, specializing in a niche is creative hara-kiri.

The era when it was enough to be an expert in a field to succeed online is over. The competition is far too fierce, with established writers and an army of T-800s ready to churn out tons of garbage day after day.

The world has changed, and the modern writer faces challenges that no previous generation of writers has ever known. It’s exciting because we can be pioneers. In an era where everything is generated and creativity is dying, we can become resistance fighters. And seek solutions.

The solution I propose is oh so simple.

Your niche: it’s you. A multidimensional human being, the result of a unique combination of knowledge and life experiences. The heir to a unique genetic makeup and culture that has never existed in the history of humanity and will never exist again in the history of humanity.

If, by chance, you manage to see just how special you are and that the ink flowing through your heart is uniquely one-of-a-kind, you may be able to tap into your potential and unlock access to your magic.

It’s precisely this multidimensionality that is your strength. How many great writers have penned all kinds of novels. As well as poetry, comedy, tragedy, plays, and songs? Artistic inspiration cannot be controlled. An artist who remains true to the source allows themselves to be guided by their own desires, not by the dictates of the market.

A paradox is beginning to take shape. 90% of people in every field are going to get crushed. Because the AI wave, which is only just beginning, will continue to surge forward. AI systems will become increasingly powerful as this unstoppable progress continues. People who thought they were safe, at the top of their field, will find themselves facing competition as fierce as it is unexpected.

The silver lining is that there are 10% of folks who are smart enough to take advantage of the situation; they’ll manage to escape the trap and capture the entire remaining audience. My idea is that these are the people who will still be able to spark emotions in their audience with supreme-quality content. They will be the antithesis of the modern world, where everything revolves around the rapid consumption of trashy content.

Scammers want to convince you that you need to use a soulless bot to generate your lines, while confining you in cages like an animal while pure magic runs through your veins. That’s the path 90% of midwits will take because it’s the easy way out. Who wants to spend hours editing a text anymore? Who wants to spend their time and years learning to write?

But…

Understand that the more you use bots, the more you diminish your magic. And the more you damage your creativity. When, in a few years, you can no longer string a few sentences together without robotic assistance, your writer’s soul will suffer from east to west.

I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear. I’m here to tell you what I believe to be the truth. Maybe I’m wrong. My words are written. My positions are set. They cannot be erased. Time will be the judge.

You are infinitely special. Stop diluting your magic with generic, synthetic crap. Or keep doing it. Dry up the wellspring of your creativity. Tarnish the artistic talent that the universe has placed within you. And perish in the void of the algorithm.