What Are Your Writing Specialties?
A significant number of my blog readership consists of other freelance writers; this makes sense as freelance writing is my specialty. What I don’t often know about these same readers is their 
areas of writing expertise. Specifically, what subject matters do you consider yourself to be an expert in? Or, what writing topics can you cover intelligently and with persuasion?
Turning Down Work
The reason I am throwing this question out is that I had to do something recently I rarely have to do: I turned down a writing project. What happened is this: one of my regular clients routinely gives me writing projects about weddings, particularly various wedding and honeymoon venues. I can handle that, but when his latest request was to write about wedding dresses I was stumped. I gave it my best shot, but I could not put into words what I was reading. Yes, I am married, but please do not ask me much about my wife’s wedding dress — it was beautiful, she looked great, and other than pulling it off of the rack at Nordstrom’s and having her friend add sequins to it, there isn’t much more that I can say about it.
As soon as possible, I notified the client that I was not able to write about wedding dresses and he seemed all right with that. What I would have preferred to have said is this, “I cannot write on this subject, but I do know someone who can. Please contact Susie X at this email address and see if she can help you out.”
Passing On Projects
I don’t mind passing on projects to other freelancers as I am secure in my work knowing that there are areas of writing where I excel and other areas where I do not. How about you? What are your writing specialties? Feel free to add your comment or send me an email — I just may refer a customer to you if I cannot handle the work myself.
Oh, by the way, my writing strengths include the following: aviation, personal finance, automotive, human interest, and generalized topics among others.
Photo Credit: Hannah Chapman; Bracknell, UK
You are so right, everyone is good at one or a few special topics. Everyone cannot right about everything all of the time without doing a research and sometimes when you end up doing research it takes the fun out of it! Writing is supposed to be for fun when you choose to do it for a career, or what point is there to do it.
To Your Success!
Shannon Q.
I’m a master at turning my own life into something worth reading…sometimes.
I wish I was better at other things, and then I would earn a living freelance, but until m writing skills improve to a point, I’ll be stuck in blogger land.
I liked to write articles about subjects I wanted to know about as well to force me to do the research and learn about them. Wedding dresses would not have been one of those subjects for me either.
I with you, Ron. I, too, like to be stretched, but I cannot imagine myself writing about wedding dresses with the female readership thinking to themselves, “A man must have written this article.”
Some roles you just cannot take on in my opinion.
I takes practice Sir Jorge, but if writing is something you want to do, you can do it. Find your niche and exploit it!
It’s a really good idea to share specialties.
My specialty is in the business and technical writing area. I typically read through boring tax materials and make them more readable for the average person. I have also been performing some developmental edits. I’ve done some product reviews for fun, and of course, I blog.
I’ve never done fashion writing.
My focus is on the environment and Eco-friendly lifestyle and my other blog is Asian food… which are both of my passions. Actually I have a lot of passions but I reduced it down to tw
and lol Matt… you certainly don’t look like a wedding expert. I would stick with whatever you are a expert in.
Laura, I know what you mean — I used to take aviation manuals and turn them around into easy to understand English *yawn*
I’ll have to remember NOT to send the fashionistas your way!
Ummm, Asian food. Susie, I want to read all about it. Send links!
Yes, when it comes to wedding venues, destinations are of interest to me. I know a bit about traveling, not a whole lot, so that kind of writing should go to the wedding expert.
99% of the time, I can wing it. I have looked at some very specialized business concepts or software reviews and just not been able to make it sound credible. Writing well means being able to pull some fiction into everyting and weaving it just so. But sometimes, you come up with a rock and that’s OK.
Angie, I like that expression — a rock. I, too, have winged it at times, but when they want the nitty-gritty details I fall short.
I found your blog through the Bumpzee Dofollow (etc.) community, and thought this was an interesting post. I specialise in travel writing, although recently I have turned my hand to some film-related work. And I do web editing, which is less interesting than writing but better for paying the bills. I think it pays to be as diverse as possible, so that the work doesn’t dry up.
That said, I agree that some things are just beyond winging it. Sometimes it’s just a matter of asking the right person for help, although finding that person can be easier said than done.
I also agree that it makes sense to pass work on to others once in a while. I have never done that once actually commissioned, but I do sometimes pass on tips about press trips or editors’ requirements to other people. In fact, I meet regularly with a handful of other travel writers so that we can swap just this sort of information (and drink a few beers while we go about it…)
Anway, I’ll be tuning in more regularly now that I’ve found your blog.
John, I hear you. The less interesting writing is often what pays the bills. I have a travel related site that I hope to roll out later this summer. I’ll be visiting your site and maybe sharing a few cyber beers with you too. Thanks for stopping by.
I haven’t done any freelance work other than some software reviews on another site, but I think my best writing is in finding the story in a particular topic or event. Everyone has a story and I find that the most interesting part. Now, if I could turn that into some good freelance work…
Ray, try submitting your stuff to commonties. What you are describing is what they seem to be looking for.
I wish I could say what I specialized in - I seem to jump all over the place. I’ve got some how-to articles going on, a few poems here and there, travel tips - pretty much whatever I feel like writing about. Writing is creative and a fantastic gateway into what you want to explore as an individual. Who wants to be stuck in one niche or topic?
That’s great, Denise. Can you write about wedding dresses? If you think that you can, then I know who to send your way in the future. You have a great variety of topics covered!
I found your site on Suncoast Scribe. It looks like an interesting place to visit, so have added to my reader.
Anyways, I specialize in making it sound casual. Yeah, I know that sounds dumb, but I can’t write strict business agenda’s or the likes. I can make a strict business agenda sound like a casual get together though which maybe will make more people want to come. I can make people believe my opinion on products because of my casual blatant honesty.
I could probably write about wedding dresses, but without much authority….I wore jeans and a tee shirt to my wedding … I think I could make you believe that I wore the most beautiful white-long, flowing gown ever made or that I have seen such a gown which, of course is the must have item of now. LOL…
Howdy,
My strengths include: Biology, Microbiology, Biotech Reviews, Gadget Reviews, History, Travel, and Humor! Great site!
I write a lot about urban sprawl, light pollution, and the various ways that people screw up the environment without thinking. I also write about writing, grammar, and getting started as a freelance writer, which are the main focuses (foci?) of my blog.
Hi, legbamel. Environmental issues seem to be front and center these days, so it looks like you have a lot of demand for your services.
I like your latinized “foci” too!
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