Writing is a Game
Issue #26 · Blindly following my creative spirit that's being pulled in a new direction
March 25, 2024: Last month, I celebrated my sixth anniversary as a Freelance Graphic Designer by realizing that it’s a job title that doesn’t feel quite right any longer. Design is something I still very much enjoy, something that I will continue mixing into all of my personal projects, and something that will keep paying my bills for the time being. But right now, my creative spirit is being pulled in another direction.
The beauty of being self-employed is that I don’t need to wait for a promotion or ask permission to change things up. There is no two-week notice period nor corporate hoops to jump through. I don’t even have to limit myself to just one career path. I can simply decide that I want to do something and... do it.
What started as a fun creative outlet is no longer just a hobby. I’ve fallen in love with writing and am ready to take it more seriously. I have ideas to share, stories to tell, and topics I’m itching to explore. Worst case, it’s just another plot twist in my already zigzagging life story.
So there you have it: I’m a writer now.
Writing is a Game. It comes with instructions, but you’re allowed to put your own spin on the rules — warning: some assembly is most definitely required. You can play by yourself or with others, but either way, you’ll need a solid strategy and quick reflexes. It’s a game that requires patience, because the words will not appear if you force them. But stay alert, because when inspiration does strike, it does not wait, and you might miss your turn. There are no shortcuts to the winner’s circle — you must put in the reps and be willing to lose a few rounds at first. But once you do get the hang of it, you’ll never want to stop playing.
Yet the future of creative writing is bleak.
As artificial intelligence creeps into every corner of our lives, once thought-provoking, original ideas have become diluted into thinly regurgitated nothingness. Algorithms reign supreme, blurring the line between those who are good with words and those who are good at gaming the system. And we must now decipher if writing has come from a place of raw human emotion or if it has come from a ghostwritten assembly line.
Luckily, I’m stubborn as hell. I refuse let ChatGPT take the pen out of my hand, and am unwilling to appease the SEO gods by stuffing my sentences full of hollow keywords. I will continue to hit ‘publish’ at whatever time my next piece happens to be ready, even if I’ve put the finishing touches on at 1am. My subject lines and titles will remain an afterthought, which may lose some eyeballs, but keeps the clickbait at bay. To me, the game of writing is only worth playing when it comes from a place of authenticity.
Every time I broadcast another one of these personal (yet very public) diary entries out into the world, it becomes a little less scary and a lot more fun. Realizing that my words have the potential to resonate with others is empowering, and I value the candid, meaningful discussions that organically occur after I voice a strong opinion. It doesn’t matter if I ramble or miss the occasional typo, as long as I speak from the heart. Because as soon as I lose that authenticity — straight to jail, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.
We are still so early in the independent internet writer era and I’m enthusiastically onboard. Today, anyone brave enough can reach a global audience with their thoughts — the only barriers to entry being consistency, originality and authenticity.
It’s a golden opportunity for the curious, the ambitious, the free-thinkers and the creative folks who are willing to put themselves out there. And the best part of it all? Words are free, words are unlimited, and everyone is invited to play.
Recommended related posts:
Eat, Sleep, Write, Repeat — As a self-diagnosed perfectionist, sometimes I struggle to hit publish. Here's how I'm grappling with that.
Unclogging the Pipes — Making sense of jumbled thoughts, half-baked ideas and choppy first drafts.
PS: I’d love to hear what you thought about this issue. Email me directly at hello@emilyannhill.com and I pinky promise I’ll reply back.