How to Find Your Niche in Unfamiliar Writing Markets

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With more and more people moving around more and more of the time it becomes very difficult for anyone to gain any kind of normalcy in their lives. Making your career is something which no longer requires you to stay in one place and oftentimes requires you to travel a great deal. So if you are a writer and you are living in an unfamiliar market, you may feel set adrift. Fear not! There are a few things you can use to your benefit which will hopefully get you set off on the right path and back writing again in no time.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

new location
new outlook

Step1

Get Online: It is true that, now more than ever, so much of our information is conveyed on the Internet. With that in mind and with that challenge before you, you should certainly find out about your new market as soon as you know you're going there. Find out who's in the area, find out about what's going on locally, and find out who you can get in touch with. Do this and you may be able to avoid that uncomfortable situation of being in an unfamiliar writing market without a job. While my experience as a producing playwright in New York City was relevant for that area, when I came out to Los Angeles it was a completely different story. However with the Internet I was able to hook up with a bunch of different play producing agencies and begin reviewing plays that were already up. I also was able to find a theatre with whom I could produce my own work! Despite the fact that Los Angeles is not a heavily independent theatrical environment I still got to do plays occasionally.

Step2

Get Out (zone): If you are in a new market you may have to write things which you have no prior experience or are not typically equipped to write. If you are a real writer and if you really want to write then you can find a way to make anything work. If it is something that is completely out of your sphere of imagination just think of it as better than a job at The Gap. Besides, who knows? You could end up liking it so much that you have found yourself a new career!

Step3

Get Out (community): Another thing that is paramount that you should do is get out into your community. Find out what's going on once you've gotten there; find out who does what and where; find out about the local publications that may not have a really strong Internet presence but maybe up-and-coming and maybe looking for writers. The more involved you can get in your local community the better.

Step4

Get Working: Being in a strange market also gives you clarity and focus. It will allow you the time to do all those things you always wanted to do like write that novel or finish that screenplay. While these are awfully broad stereotypes show me a writer who doesn't have a book I want to finish or a screenplay they want to write. So go for it! The time is now.