It has been so long since I’ve written for the hell of it. I used to write in a journal, then on LiveJournal (iykyk), then on a collaborative poetry site, then on my blog, and then for publishers. The “for publishers” part really changed how I write and why. Three letters: SEO.
And now, in the world of AI, when my contracts with those publishers are fraught with uncertainty and change, I am back to the basics, grasping at straws and questioning the one thing that has never shaken my confidence—my career.
(I’m going to get flagged by my SEO app because the last sentence is too long. Whatever.)
In the past decade, countless people have read what I wrote to learn something or to be guided in a specific direction, whether that be finding out more about a diamond, an antique, or what recent health study they should take seriously.
But I haven’t connected with an audience in a long time, since my Ageless Heirlooms days, or more recently when I ripped all the siding off my house and had a little community following along. I question whether or not community is the answer for writers like myself.
AI will be able to write better than me (some argue it already can), in more voices, more quickly, and with fewer talking heads needed to ensure it doesn’t hallucinate. I hope I can be an editor who has value with AI, but since I am a freelancer (and not staffed in a media office), I am not exactly sure what’s going to happen.
I know I want to keep writing. But will people care what I have to say if it isn’t SEO-optimized to their specific user query? Will they just click off if I don’t make a very educated guess on what they need and deliver it?
To take it one step further, am I the type of person who could have a Substack? With subscribers? With people who want to know what vintage trinket I added to my bookshelf this morning? Or what I think about the world at large? The thought makes me dizzy.
All I know is that I have carved out space for myself that no one can take away unless I stop paying my web service provider. I want to expand on how I use it without worrying whether Google will penalize me for going off-topic.
I want to use my authentic voice without it being perfectly optimized for searches about antiques, old houses, and vintage recipes. (Pretty sure AI has that covered anyway.)
I’m not sure what’s to come, but whatever writing I explore here will help guide my next steps, whether that’s ghostwriting, more of the same (developmental editing), or something else entirely. All I know is that I will write and edit alongside robots for as long as my mind will let me, and much of it will be public for as long as I can afford to keep this site live—that much is within my control.
If you’ve read this, and you are a stranger, pop over to IG and send me a friendly hello!
