It’s Thursday again, and that means that its SpecialtyBuzz time. If you’re new to this blog, every Thursday I interview a freelance writer who specializes in a certain subject matter (i.e. health, sports) or a certain style of writing (i.e. copywriting, press release writing). If you are a new freelance writer seeking a specialty, or even a seasoned freelance writer tired of being a generalist, then this weekly segment is just for you.

Today’s SpecialtyBuzz guest is Katy Lindamood, and her appearance here marks a bit of a milestone when it comes to SpecialtyBuzz – this is the second subject matter writer I’ve covered who writes about sports. And both of our sports writing specialists have been female! Let me just throw in that Mr. Escalona, who works for one of those national cable news networks, tells me that their up and coming sportscasters are majority female. No pressure or anything guys, but sports writing and commentary doesn’t belong solely to you anymore. Right on, ladies!

In that spirit, are you a female NASCAR fan? Read on to the very end of this post for an opportunity that just might float your boat.

And now, I give you Katy Lindamood, NASCAR writer:

What is your specialty and how did you get started in that particular area?

In reading blogs and websites covering the sport of NASCAR I noticed that nearly every site I visited had similar stories. It seemed like most sites were happy just regurgitating the same story you can find on 100 other racing related sites.  While I admire all the writers in the field for giving it their best effort I wanted to see articles that were thought provoking, questioned the status quo, and brought a different side of the story to the table.

I have been a fan of the sport since the age of 12 when, for some reason, my family chose to watch a race on television. Bored out of my mind, I sat there hoping for a wreck and then a car went into a barrel role down the backstretch and flipped at least a dozen times. From that point on I was hooked. Choosing to write about NASCAR began with my fan blog, The Biff Files, which I co-author with my best friend. From there I was given the opportunity to write guest posts for a few different sites. I recently accepted a position with Examiner.com covering driver Kyle Busch and have also been involved in the site’s coverage of the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup covering driver Kurt Busch. This is by no means the end of what I am hoping to accomplish but it’s a good start.

What are three things a writer needs to know before choosing to specialize in your area of specialty?

When deciding if NASCAR or any type of motorsports or sports related niche is right it’s important to look for a distinctive point of view. There are thousands of sites and writers covering the same topic and if you can’t differentiate yourself from the pack you get lost. For instance, my choice to cover Kyle and Kurt Busch for Examiner.com doesn’t make me popular with a lot of fans. Why? Of the 43 drivers in the field each weekend these two brothers are among the most disliked. Most of the articles you see relating to them are negative and I wanted something that looks at them from the opposite point of view.

Secondly, anyone writing about this sport has to understand you are going to get criticized if your point of view goes against what the majority of the fan base believes. NASCAR fans are passionate about their drivers and team owners and if you say something against a popular driver it’s going get attention from his fans and followers. They aren’t always nice, but that’s one of the things that make this sport so entertaining and I love the back and forth between fans of rival drivers.

Finally, competition between writers is brutal when it comes to being the first to break a story. If you are the first to get a story out then you are going to get more readers than someone who covers the story 48 hours after it broke. You’ve got to be ready at a moment’s notice and stay on top of official NASCAR press releases and team releases.

Does writing in your specialty require any particular training or could a layperson pick it up?

You don’t need to be a mechanic or a member of a team to become a writer covering the sport, but you do need to have a basic knowledge of how it all works. The sport is very technical in terms of how cars are designed and set up for the race. If you don’t know the basics or at least the key teams, drivers, and terms used to describe the handling of a race car then you aren’t going to have much success.

As for education, I’ve seen writers that only have a high school level education successfully cover the sport. It depends on your point of view and how you present yourself and your writing. Some see those without a journalism degree as unworthy to write about the sport, but anyone with the talent and drive can become successful regardless of their educational background.

Are there any potential pitfalls associated with specializing in your area?

NASCAR has and always will be a male dominated sport and because of that it’s hard for women to break in as writers. There are quite a few successful women covering the sport, but they are largely outnumbered by men. For this reason it’s even more important that females covering the sport have a unique perspective.

What is the current market for writing in your specialty? Who is buying and who is selling?

Since I only recently choose to go all out writing about NASCAR, I’ve not yet had the opportunity to fully explore all the options that area available for writers. Finding a paying gig is difficult because even some of the most respected sites covering the sport don’t have the money to pay writers. Luckily many will allow you contribute articles. Even if you aren’t getting paid it’s a great way to build up a portfolio and get your name out there. If your contributions add value to the site your nonpaying gig might become a paid job in the future. Locally a writer may be able to get in with their newspaper writing a blog or covering the sport for the printed edition. Some writers who live in smaller communities may have more success with this. Most of the time the stories found in newspapers come from the Associated Press rather than local journalist, so if you can get your foot in the door that’s a great place to start.

What do you enjoy most about your specialty?

I love being able to write about something that I have a passion for. It much more fulfilling that writing for content mills or struggling to cover a topic that bores you to tears.

What do you enjoy least about your specialty?

The one thing that really aggravates me about writing about NASCAR is readers who personally attack the credentials or the ability of a writer to successfully cover a story rather than just disagreeing with your point of view.

How would you suggest networking within your specialty?

Twitter and Facebook are great resources to have in this specialty. Drivers, teams, tracks, and other media outlets use Twitter and Facebook for promotion. There is also a huge group of fans who tweet their play by play coverage of races and other related events each weekend.

What advice would you give to freelance writers interested in specializing in your area?

Know your market, find your voice, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Other than that, become a member of NASCARMedia.com in order to get access to breaking stories, press releases, historical data, and photographs. Also make friends with the bloggers and sites that NASCAR officially recognizes. There are 25 sites that are considered Citizen Journalism sites. If you can contribute to any of those, go for it. It’s a step in the right direction. Finally, don’t give up. Your favorite driver doesn’t give up when his day doesn’t go as planned and you shouldn’t either.

Katy Lindamood is a freelance writer, blogger, and a self diagnosed NASCAR addict. Katy is currently the Kyle Busch Examiner for Examiner.com, covering one of the most hated drivers in the sport. Katy’s Examiner articles also appear on 4wide.com. In addition Katy, along with her best friend and fellow NASCAR fan, maintains a personal blog called The Biff Files and she is a contributor to The Final Lap. Katy resides in Ashland, Kentucky with her husband, 3 dogs, and 1 cat. If you are interested in contacting Katy for additional info on this topic or hiring her for a job she can be contacted via email or through Twitter.

Female NASCAR fans, listen up! Katy is in the process of creating, Skirts and Scuffs, a NASCAR site written completely by women. If you are interested in contributing the female point of view to NASCAR coverage, contact Katy via email or Twitter for more information.