UPDATE: Olga released her book Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing, and I interviewed her again here. We talked about niksen, her thoughts and experiences regarding self-publishing and traditional publishing, her writing process and more.
I’m a writer, blogger, and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, I’ve mostly written romantic comedies or romantic dramas. But I’ve co-written a fantasy/action/drama TV pilot with my writer friend Liam Kavanagh, and I dream about the day I’ll wake up with the perfect sci-fi, thriller or action feature idea.
As a non-fiction writer, I’ve written about health, beauty, dating, career management, travel, mental health, entertainment, any and all aspects of writing, as well as all aspects of writing and blogging. I run 4 blogs: Pinar Tarhan Entertainment, Beauty, Fitness, and Style for the Fun-Loving Girl, Dating and Relationships in the 21st Century, and this: Addicted to Writing – my writer’s blog and portfolio website.
I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite niche. When it comes to writing services, if you pushed me to pick, I’d say blog writing. When it comes to topics, I could list what I don’t write about. It would take less time.
I’ve always been interested in multiple topics. And while picking a niche or two has certain advantages, not all writers are made for this path. Today, I have such a guest on the blog, my good friend Olga Mecking.
Olga Mecking is a successful international writer with bylines in so many prestigious pubs like Teen Vogue, Yes Magazine, Ozy, City Lab, and The Washington Post. But what makes Olga the perfect person to talk to about writing in multiple niches is that she didn’t get all those impressive bylines in sticking to a niche: She has written about being an expat, mother, traveling, current news, being a polyglot, science, and beyond.
She is Polish and lives in The Netherlands with her German husband and their kids. She speaks 5 languages including English, German, French and Dutch.
Off to Olga:
- How did you start writing? And how did you start writing professionally?
I started my blog The European Mama after a Dutch woman called the police on me because of my kid’s temper tantrum. By blogging, I taught myself to write, and then after a while my friends were all starting to submit their writing, so I thought, “maybe I could do this too.” Turns out, I can.
- How do you find and pursue your story ideas?
I always have a million ideas in my head and think stories are everywhere. For example, once we ate something called The Dutch Weed Burger (it’s made of seaweed, not grass!), but I thought with a name like that there had to be a story. And there was! Sometimes, my idea comes from current events, or from stringing two lines of thought together in unexpected ways. Sometimes it’s a place I visit or something I eat. And sometimes, it’s something someone says or does.
- Why do you prefer writing in multiple niches?
Well, there are topics I stick to, for example, parenting, living abroad, travel, food, etc. But I also like learning new things and acquiring new skills, so I am trying to break into other types of writing (for example, I wrote for Teen Vogue about politics). Also, I get bored easily. If I had to stick to just one thing, I’d stop writing.
- Do you feel like this has ever worked against you? In what ways has it worked in favor of your career and life in general?
In many ways, it has worked in favor because I can always use my stories to “get into the next level”. So for example, next time I have something about politics, I have my Teen Vogue story to prove I can do it. If I’ve written about food in a certain way (for example, as a feature), I can use that to write features about other topics.
- What would your advice be to writers who also can’t dream of sticking to one niche?
Just write whatever you feel like writing.
- Where can we follow you on social media?
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Do you also write in multiple niches? Or do you want to? Let us know in the comments about your adventures and concerns!
