What Are You Writing For?

In a saturated market with technology changing the game, what's the point?

In Writing the Journey, I write about writing. I share my travel and personal experiences through writing in a lot of contexts, but I also strive to achieve more as a writer. This is where I reflect on that process.

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I first realized that I was a writer when I was in graduate school. I’m still not sure why it took me so long to realize it. I had always loved writing. I wrote letters all through middle school and high school. I kept a journal. I enjoyed writing short stories. I actually liked writing papers and doing research. I had always been a far better writer than speaker.

And yet it wasn’t until a conversation in one of my graduate classes that I realized that I didn’t have to be getting paid for my craft to consider myself a writer.

So I started blogging. Eventually I started submitting freelance work. And still I knew I couldn’t quit my day job. Most writers cannot make a living from writing. Writing is one of those hobbies or side gigs that fills a writer’s bucket while doing the regular tasks of being an employee, partner, and/or parent.

When I lost my job in the winter of 2021, while I floundered and grieved and tried to figure out what I was going to do next, I ventured more deeply into the world of professional writing. I joined Facebook groups for bloggers. I got a freelancing gig that taught me more about copywriting and editing than I ever thought possible. I submitted my work to other sites for free, just happy to see my name on a byline, getting out in front of bigger audiences than my small audience blog ever did.

But I also learned some harsh lessons in my temporary quest to chase the writing dragon. The Facebook groups were all about getting numbers, not finding an authentic audience. There are a lot of people out there writing stuff that could be written by anyone and making a lot of money doing so, while other, more talented writers are barely recognized. Writing for SEO can be a fun game and boost readership, but it didn’t mean that I was writing stuff that meant something to me.

And yeah, it was really frustrating and disheartening to see the kind of stuff that was getting large numbers of readership.

As both a teacher and writer, I am fascinated, excited, apprehensive, and terrified by the explosion of AI capabilities. It is a mixed bag of emotions and I’m sure it will be several years of figuring out this brave new world before we all know what exactly it means to writers as both creators and human beings.

AI Is Coming for Content Creators

But I do hold onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, it will force us to write more meaningfully and more honestly as we dig into what makes us human. Those who have been flooding the market with “how-tos” and “best of” and “why you should” articles may have to reevaluate who they are as writers. That instead of writing for an algorithm, they will write for themselves and find a voice.

Because writing is an expression of language. Writing should challenge us to be our best and most authentic selves. And insisting that people see writing as a craft is not gatekeeping.

Ramona Grigg

effectively argues for the need to be better and seek better as both readers and writers in the following piece:

Writing Advice: The Art, The Craft, The Cons

The conversation threads following her piece were both enlightening and encouraging as many of us discussed what makes us writers and how we can become better at our craft. The “con” is the belief that it is easy and doesn’t require work. In Stephen King's book On Writing, he says, “If you don’t want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well—settle back into competency and be grateful you have even that much to fall back on.”¹ And that is true. There is no fast track to being a good writer and recognizing that is what helps us grow and find our own definition of success.

So I’m asking myself, what’s the point? Why do I keep writing when the possibility of financial success seems so unlikely? Why do I spend hours on a hobby that only occasionally pays a couple of bills? Why do I keep trying to get my writing out there?

Then I return to Stephen King’s harsh words for wannabe writers: “This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s not the moral Olympics, and it’s not church. But it’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to close the book and do something else.”² And then I remember that I have to write. Writing helps me be a better version of myself. I’m not trying to win a popularity contest. I’m just trying to tell my story and help others see that they are not alone, because by writing about my own experiences, I learn just how many others share those experiences with me.

So I’m not scared of AI. I’m not concerned about the competition from people who are writing for an algorithm. I’m desperately trying to not see lack of immediate “success” as a sign of failure. Because I’m a writer, and my words mean something.

Order my new book!

I’ve written a memoir collection of essays based on several of my blog posts from the past seven years. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

And if you do purchase, please give it a favorable review on Amazon and Goodreads, or any other book tracking app that you might use.

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1. King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2020, p. 142

2. King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2020, p. 107