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If you\u2019re writing nonfiction, you\u2019re probably trying to zero in on a category or topic that you\u2019d like to write about and be known for. You\u2019re trying to find your focus.\n\nIf you haven\u2019t already been exploring the possibilities by writing blog posts or articles, you\u2019ve probably had some inkling. If not, look for clues.\n\nWhen you\u2019re leafing through a magazine, what articles catch your eye? What do you rip out and stick in a folder? When you\u2019re skimming your Twitter or Facebook feed, what do you retweet or share? What do you save to Pocket or Evernote?\nWhat Topics Fascinate, Captivate, or Energize You?\nMake a list of those fascinating, captivating, energizing topics\u2014the ones you return to again and again.\n\nOnce you\u2019ve identified those topics or categories, you have some choices. For example, do you see a common thread that ties them together? If so, see if you can create an umbrella under which they can fall. \n\nLifestyle bloggers do this, where under that \u201cumbrella\u201d they have categories on their website\u2014buttons or tabs to click on\u2014for things like \u201ctravel,\u201d \u201chealth,\u201d \u201cstyle\u201d and \u201cphotography.\u201d A mom-blogger \u201cumbrella" might have these for \u201crecipes,\u201d \u201ccrafts, \u201cmoney-saving tips\u201d and \u201corganization.\u201d It all depends on the things you love and want to write about\u2014the things that fascinate, captivate, and energize you.\nNarrow Your Categories\nA couple of things may help you at this point.\n\nFirst, as much as possible, consider narrowing down\u2014or \u201cniche-ing down,\u201d as they say\u2014to stand out in a crowded online world. You can try to enter the lifestyle blogger world, but by narrowing, you\u2019ll make it easier for people to find you and your focused topic.\n\nYou can narrow by the audience or reader you find yourself drawn to\u2014or the readers drawn to you already if you\u2019re out there writing now.\n\nOr, you can narrow the topic to a subtopic and focus on that.\n\nFor example, instead of \u201ctravel," which is a big, crowded category, maybe you focus on frugal travel tips\u2014that\u2019s narrowing the kind of travel, but even that\u2019s kind of a big category. How about frugal travel tips for young families? That\u2019s narrowing the target audience. You could mix and match given who you are, what you\u2019re drawn to, and the people you want to reach.\n\nMaybe you want to offer frugal travel trips for big families, or frugal travel tips for retirees. Or singles. Or maybe you want to focus on camping for big families. You see how you can narrow the topic and the audience or reader? That\u2019s niche-ing down.\n\nTo illustrate how this will work to your advantage as a blogger or writer, consider this: If I want to find an article about frugal camping tips for big families, am I going to be more inclined to dig into a lifestyle blogger\u2019s website that has high-end photography tips and craft beer recommendations as well as three or four camping articles under their broad \u201ctravel\u201d category?\n\nOr am I going to spend some time digging into the resources I find at a blog offering all kinds of camping tips for big families? Chances are, I\u2019m going to bookmark that second website and return to it. I\u2019m going to pin their stuff on Pinterest and share it on Twitter.\n\nThat\u2019s the power of narrowing or niche-ing down\u2014the people who need that specific information, and the people who care about a certain subject or the people who are captivated by certain types of stories, will come to you: the one writing exclusively about it.\nIf You're Feeling Constrained\nA frustration I\u2019ve heard is that this narrowing feels constraining to some writers. It\u2019s like I\u2019m asking you to be a bookseller crammed into a tiny rented space squeezed in next to a barber shop with barely enough room to sell just one category of books, like mysteries. But you do it. You\u2019re fascinated with mysteries, so you limit yourself and get to know mysteries really well and put them on the shelves that line your tiny space.\n\nBut you're fascinated and captivated by all kinds of books.