“Stop Writing, the Robots Are Here!”
What does becoming a “successful” writer mean in the age of AI?
If we are anything alike, then sometimes you spend your “breaks” scrolling Reddit. And if you are, then you’ll probably find writers talking about generative AI and its implications in all its glory. Everybody is scared of artificial intelligence, but, it seems, none more so than writers on Reddit.
After all, millions of jobs are on the chopping block, right? It’s all over — artificial intelligence can string together an essay that sounds like a sleepy high schooler. Oh no!
So … just stop writing, then.
No?
I thought so. And, same.
Despite all the doom and gloom, no one’s saying that writing is useless now because internet thingies learned words. Nobody’s screaming from the rooftops, “Stop writing, the robots are here!”
I find that interesting, because that says a couple of things. First is that writing, by itself, is an inherently rewarding activity — robots or not. I saw a post on Reddit arguing that AI “takes away the joy of writing.”
I don’t agree. You take the joy out of writing. If all you’re doing is plugging prompts into ChatGPT instead of using it as it should be used, then no wonder you’re depressed.
If you’re truly writing, if you’re truly stretching your brain, then that’s good for you, period.
The second implication is that it’s still possible to be a “successful” writer. No one’s saying that writing is a dead-end job. In fact, I think more and more people are getting into it, from what I can see on platforms like Twitter, Medium, and LinkedIn.
The way that I think about it is — you can still “make it” as a writer; it’s just a little bit different now.
I feel like the online writing industry, especially in the freelance world, has been going through a Golden Age. I know someone who’s made a career out of writing online for ten-plus years. She had absolutely no specialization, wrote about everything from dog toys to e-commerce. And yet, the well never ran dry. At least, until recently.
A couple of years ago, writers like my friend can be considered “successful,” able to sustain herself with short term, unspecialized gigs. That ladder is more difficult to climb today, technologies like GenAI seem to be widening the gap from one floor to the next.
Difficult, but not impossible. I’d like to think that we just need to change what a “successful” writer looks like today.
This is what I think successful writers look like
The way I think about this is that there are two kinds of successful writers:
The first kind is the Yin Writer, so called for embodying values of passivity and absorption in Eastern philosophy.
These are the writers who are secure in themselves and in their writing. They don’t seek fame, accolades, or money. They are successful because they feel successful, confident in what they bring to the world. They are hyper-focused on improving in their craft in their internal world, and let nature take its course outside.
Sometimes, a few of these writers are noticed. They’ve honed themselves to a certain brilliance, and the outside world has aligned in such a way as to shine a light on their talent. Their work is recognized, and they get all the fame, awards, and money.
But these are the exceptions to the rule; most of these writers are undiscovered, although they are content.
As you’d expect, the second kind of successful writer is Yang Writers. They embody the concepts of light, activity, and penetration.
They are driven, burning like a fire that illuminates the world. And they burn for the material upsides of becoming a writer, in exchange their providing the world with value. And because they aim for it, they are strategic in their pursuit. They learn the trends, adapt to the times, and master the tools.
In the age of the internet, becoming this type of writer is highly achievable. They are writers that:
- Have built a brand around their writing.
- Have gathered a community around their brand.
- Have diversified their communication channels (books, blogs, newsletters, etc.)
They’ve taken matters into their own hands and are putting their words in front of as many people as possible, adjusting to what their audience demands from their writing. This is the kind of writer I want to become, and maybe you’d like that too.
There is another kind of writer, though, who is neither Yin, Yang, or successful.
These are the writers who aim for the material benefits of becoming a writer but are not willing to become strategic about it. They don’t adapt to new technologies and don’t know the trends.
Instead, they seclude themselves, living and honing their skills like hermits, but are embittered once they realize that they are not famous, their writing is undiscovered, and their words sell for dirt.
Unfortunately, many people are like this. I feel these are the kinds of people who complain about how AI is replacing them, yet take no action to specialize, utilize tools, or protect their careers in any way.
I bet, in the past, these were the kinds of people who complained about how people using typewriters were not real writers. True writers wrote with pen, ink, and parchment. Typewriters wrote words too fast; it’s impossible for the brain to truly form a coherent thought like that.
These people were prideful, arrogant, and yet invisible.
What kind of writer are you?
Are you the hermit, zen-like Yin Writer, honing their words to be as sharp as their minds?
Are you the surgical, on-fire Yang Writer, casting their ideas into the wind like fireworks?
Or maybe you’re both. After all, there is a little bit of Yin in Yang, and vice versa. Whatever the case, always keep in mind whatever you are writing for, whether fame, fortune, or self-actualization. As long as you know yourself, you can become successful.
Just be careful of becoming neither.
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