Quick Intro
I found a powerful story of a writer who gave up professional writing after 12 years—and why he might return.
Main Points
- Writer’s Journey: Started at 17 earning $3–$26 per piece. By age 29, had written SEO blogs, ghostwritten books, translated articles, and was in the top 10% on Upwork.
- Collapse of Career: Got laid off in 2023 after years of success. Spent 9 months applying for 700+ jobs (writing + others), but failed to land anything stable.
- Debt & Depression: Spent savings to help his father with a brain tumor. His dad passed away. Writer became broke, depressed, and nearly homeless.
- Moved On: Took a job at a call center (10-hour shifts, 2-hour daily commute). Found peace, stability, and eventually got promoted to work from home.
- New Plan: He’s not abandoning writing entirely—just writing for clients. Now plans to self-publish books and maybe return to writing full-time later.
- AI Impact: Many comment that AI ruined low-end freelance work, with some jobs shifting to automation or underpaying new hires.
- Emotional Support: Dozens of writers shared similar stories of burnout, layoffs, Upwork scams, lowball clients, AI accusations, and giving up.
Extra Tips
- Start a KDP book series and aim for $400/month to replace freelance.
- Write for yourself first. Then monetize via Medium, affiliate blogs, or ebooks.
- Learn SEO and marketing if you want to find clients directly.
- Consider YouTube automation using your stories or scripts.
- Use commutes creatively—some wrote novels during travel time.
- Freelancing success may come by building your own client base, not platforms.
Warnings
- Freelance platforms like Upwork now charge for applying and don’t refund if scammed.
- AI accusations are common even for human-written work.
- Many clients prefer cheap AI or underpaying new writers, ignoring quality.
Mixed or Disputed Info
- “Writing is dead” – mixed (Some still earn, but low-tier work is vanishing.)
- “Upwork is useless now” – mixed (Some claim success; others face scams + rejection.)
- “AI writing dominates” – mixed (It’s fast but often boring or inaccurate.)
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