Spotlight on Nancy Hendrickson by Writers Village University
T-Zero: Have you always been a writer? Do you have any particular background or creative writing courses that you draw from?
NH: Even before I went to kindergarten, I remember running around with little pieces of paper I’d scribbled on. So yes, I think I’ve always been a writer. When I was in high school and college, I loved researching and writing term papers, which is probably why I enjoy writing non-fiction articles today.
Although I didn’t take many creative writing courses in college, my degree is in English–which means I did a tremendous amount of reading. For me, being a writer means being a reader. Reading good writing–whether fiction or non-fiction–always inspires me to improve my own work.
As you know, many non-fiction writers dream about writing fiction and I’m no exception. I’ve taken several fiction courses through Writer’s Village, and find they also help my article writing as well. My favorites are the series on Mythic Structure.
T-Zero: Tell us exactly what a Niche Market is.
NH: A niche market is a specialized market. As a non-fiction writer, I’m interested in a wide variety of subjects, which makes me a generalist. However, I learned long ago that editors are more comfortable working with you if they feel you are highly skilled and informed in their particular niche.
It occurred to me that although I am a generalist, I can specialize in several different niches. I picked the areas I know the most about, and went about presenting myself as a specialist in those areas. For example, I wanted to write about genealogy, so I started a genealogy newsletter and built a genealogy-related Web site. Both positioned me as an expert, and helped in getting some of my first genealogy assignments.
T-Zero: You’ve developed several of your own niches; genealogy, collecting and computers. Did this develop from a special interest you had in each or did the interest develop once you found the market?
NH: Those particular niches were based on my own personal likes. However, I learned to develop my own “niche within a niche” in each of those fields. For instance, although I’ve been interested in genealogy since childhood, I positioned myself as an expert on Internet genealogy. Because I’ve been online since 1986 (my first subscription with CompuServe), it was easy to call myself an online expert.
I’ve had computers for years, but it wasn’t until I bought a Handspring Visor–they’re like Palm Pilots–that I really got interested in writing about computers. My first articles were on using Palms for various hobbies. I sold pieces on Palms for astronomy, Palms for health and Palms for genealogy. Once I had my foot in that particular door, it was fairly easy to get other computer-related assignments.
I’m a great believer in writing about things you really enjoy. Why go after assignments that you’re going to hate writing?
T-Zero: You’ve written for several magazines with different interests, do you have a favorite subject?
NH: I love writing about people or events that transcend ordinary life and touch us in a place buried deep in our souls. For me, this usually happens when I’m writing about history. I don’t get to do this often, but when I do, it’s Nirvana.
T-Zero: We at T-Zero and WVU are learning the craft of writing and honing our skills. Writing for niche markets takes research, can you lead us through a typical beginning, middle and end of preparing your article?
NH: You’re absolutely correct about needing to hone research skills as a niche writer. When I get an assignment, the first thing I do is decide how I’m going to approach the article (my tone, style, structure), whether I need to do interviews, and what type of research will be necessary.
For example, I’m doing a piece right now for The Writer magazine on “Holiday Gifts for Writers.” I needed to come up with 20-25 items a writer would like to get as a gift, then write a paragraph about each, including the price and where to buy it.
This piece was fairly straightforward–I added things to the list that I’d like to have, and then incorporated things my editor wanted on the list. After that, all I had to do was search the Web for each item, and write my descriptions.
A more typical piece for me, though, is one I just finished for a genealogy magazine on “finding your frontier ancestors.” After deciding on the components I wanted the article to contain, I got on the Web and started looking for experts to interview. I eventually interviewed two authors who specialized in the frontier, an expert on military history, and archivists at four different state historical societies.
Next, I took all my notes and started fashioning the article. Once I did that, I could see where my research was a little thin, so I went back on the Web, as well as through my own books to fill in the gaps. Once that structure was complete, I began writing the piece. By that point, I had enough information to write a fairly well-honed article. Of course I went back a couple of times to polish it, which means not only catching my errors and improving the way I said something, but also moving paragraphs around until the piece flowed the way I wanted it to.
One last thing–and this is just my personal quirk–once I know how I want to structure the article, I frequently write my lead paragraph before I do anything else. Having a solid lead keeps me focused.
T-Zero: What or who influenced you to get into article writing?
NH: I truly love helping people understand a subject better, and writing articles gives me the chance to do this.
For example, I like writing an article that helps you get the most from your Palm Pilot, or one that helps you find your ancestors, or one that gives you a piece of medical information that alleviates your worries. Writing these articles gives me a great deal of personal satisfaction.
T-Zero: What type of books do you like to read when you find the time?
NH: Unfortunately, most of my reading time is spent on keeping up with computers and Internet technology. It doesn’t leave much time for reading for the pure joy of it. In fact, I jokingly call myself an illiterate because I spend so little time reading great literature.
However, a friend of mine recently inspired me to start reading novels again. Of those, my two favorites are The Archivist, and Girl with a Pearl Earring. My criteria for a good read is that it makes me think, it touches my heart, and that it’s beautifully told.
T-Zero: What advice would you give first-time writers who are interested in developing a market for their work?
NH: It’s such a cliche, but a true one: Write what you like.
If you love kids, for example, write about them. This may mean starting out writing for a kids’ magazine and then expanding into parenting magazines; or, it may mean writing about crafts for kids for a family magazine.
Also, I think a big mistake a first-time writer makes is in seeing their niche in too narrow a focus. By this, I mean there are far more markets for every niche than you might imagine. For instance: although there are genealogy-specific magazines, that doesn’t mean they are the only market for my work. I can sell pieces on genealogy to computer-related publications, retirement, travel (genealogy research on the road), collecting (I found Great-Grandma’s diary), history, ethnic, and general interest magazines.
If you want to develop a market for your work, spend some time in the bookstore looking through the magazines. Then, do a little thinking outside the box, and expand how you see your particular market.
T-Zero: Your book, Making Money Writing for Niche Markets, is quite comprehensive and covers everything you need to write articles. If there was one key element to selling articles, what in your opinion, would that be?
NH: Learn to write a killer query. Of all of my skills, my query writing one is my strongest. I have learned to sell myself and my ideas in a way that makes it difficult for editors to say no.
Grab editors by their collars from the first sentence and don’t let go. Let your passion show through. Tell them why you’re dying to do the piece and why they should be dying to pay for it. Yes, editors are business people, but they are people. They want to be excited, they want to find that query that promises to thrill them. Make it be yours.
T-Zero: I always like to end an interview using some of James Lipton’s questions which gives us an insight in the author we spotlight and it’s fun. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule.
T-Zero: What is your favorite word?
NH: Hubris. I love the image it creates in my head.
T-Zero: What is your least favorite word?
NH: Interface. God, spare me.
T-Zero: What turns you on?
NH: Music that makes me feel every emotion, from the inside out.
T-Zero: What turns you off?
NH: Whining.
T-Zero: What sound or noise do you love?
NH: The crackle of a wood fire.
T-Zero: What sound or noise do you hate?
NH: Car alarms.
T-Zero: What profession would you be in if not this?
NH: I would compose music.
T-Zero: What profession would you hate to be in?
NH: Anything that traps me in an office or forces me to do the same thing day after day.
T-Zero: If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive?
NH: “You did good, kid.”
