Writers, was there ever a time you want to give up on your writing career? then look for other work but not for writing? Was there also a time you feel that you are so brain dead and cant produce quality output?
Well, sometimes I don't feel very productive and the “brain-deadness” you talk about lasts longer than expected. That is more precisely called as a 'writer's block' in our terminology. I normally switch to some other activity when I am not able to deliver quality content. A diversion restores me and I can start writing afresh with a new inspiration. But I really don't get why you should ask this - Why would one want to give up a writing career? I have never thought of giving up writing till now despite of some problems like low pay that prevail in this industry today. IT'S ALL ABOUT FOCUSING ON THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITIES AND HAVING PATIENCE TILL YOU COME ACROSS ONE. If done the right way, writing can be a very lucrative career. I honestly feel that whiners should STFU and change their outlook. Good/high-paying opportunities are ALWAYS there, whether you want to work as a freelance writer or as an employed one. It's all about keeping your eyes and mind open and spotting them. Writing is not something any jackass under the sun can do. It takes great industry to build a rep for oneself. Established writers are those who stick through till the end with determination. (For the most part, we see only the six-figure income they pull, but never the hardships they have faced to reach that place.) Giving up is not a choice at all.
This question came up to me because my writer friend gave up her writing career just recently. She was in the industry for 10years and I guess and she is earning a lot in writing. Writing is a lucrative career and like you said this career is not just about typing and writers don't deserve a low paying opportunity. Her reason for giving up writing is the "brain-deadness" or "writer's block". She feels that she wrote enough and does not enjoy this career anymore. When she was still writing she can produce 500 word article in an hour and sometimes can write 10-15 articles in a day. Its a tough career and I guess her brain juices just dried up. She took a break at least a year to gain back the enthusiasm on writing but she feels like dragging herself every time she starts writing again.
That brain dead feeling usually only comes to me when I haven't slept in a couple of days. My friends always hassle me to get more sleep. Why sleep when there's work to be done and money to be made?! Giving Up Writing is easily one of the toughest freelancing markets to break into. As a native English writer, you are outnumbered vastly by foreign writers willing to sell their soul for lunch money. It's even tougher to find gigs that pay decently and earn a wage off writing alone that can pay your bills. However, if this is something you enjoy doing and it's something you're good at, then you shouldn't ever give up. NEVER GIVE UP! I've been there. - I've been beat down and tired from rejecting .50c per 100 word offers. - I've had my run-ins with people who received their content and never paid. - I've had people who charged back money a week or even a month down the road (while very few, it has happened) - I've wanted to give up altogether because it seemed like nothing more than a unrealistic goal to make money writing I'm glad I didn't give up on writing though, because it pave the road to web development. You can definitely make it in writing if you keep to your goals and actually strive to get somewhere with it, but it's definitely not easy. What if all those garage companies that are now Fortune 500 companies had given up early? At one point or another, everyone thinks about giving up and "what if"? Not many people have the devotion or the mental fortitude to stick with making money online. Most who even attempt it will quit before they ever see a payday. There are gigs out there that pay $20, $40, $50 and even $100 or more just for your time. There ARE clients out there willing to pay for quality. Are they hard to find? You're damn right they're hard to find and rightfully so. If everyone knew how to find them, can you imagine the utter chaos that would create? The point is, never give up on something when it becomes rough. The only time you fail is when you give up
Sounds as if she made the right decision. If her heart isn't in it anymore, it's time for a break or even a career change. She will always have her skills and the creative juices will begin to flow once again. (I know because I've been where she's at.) Kudos to her for having the courage to follow her instincts, the inner voice we all possess and do what she feels is best for her. It's by no means an easy decision to make. In time, she'll decide if she wants to return to writing again or not and in what capacity. For now, walking away might just be the best thing for her.
I quite understand what your friend might be going through. But I don't suppose she's going to give up writing forever. She has come across the “brain-deadness”/writer's block every writer faces someday nor the other. Maybe she needs more time. It all depends on one's individual capacity to cope with such situations. @chinesegirl07, there are bad (and good) patches in every profession and writing is no exception. Your friend is just going through one; there's nothing more to it. As I said already, the “brain-deadness”/writer's block is sometimes very uncomfortable and lasts quite longer than expected, but it will SURELY pass away. I am, however, glad that she has taken some time off. A diversion will nevertheless refresh her and she will enjoy doing it again as usual when she starts back. Writing is a chore that's best done when enjoyed; you are most productive at something when you enjoy it and that's precisely when quality is delivered. If your friend still feels like she's dragging herself, I guess she's not really ready. She needs more time as I said. We all have problems and struggles in our personal lives and these sometimes grow acute to a point where they start interfering with and disturbing your profession. I have been through such phases. What exactly is it that's not letting your friend write as she used to? Find the problem out and then solve it. Motivation is often killed due to factors we are not aware of. Once the cause is detected and overcome, your friend will have her creative juices flowing and get back the enthusiasm she's missing. You said she has been in this industry for 10 years and earning good. Frankly speaking, giving up when you have gone such a long way into something is not a wise decision if you ask me. It would be very difficult to start over in a different line and would expose her to an altogether different set of problems. A respite, a long one if deemed necessary, is all she needs right now. But giving up completely is NOT advisable at any rate. Hope this helps.
I am not a copywriter by trade, but I write limited copy all of the time in my role as a sales and marketing executive (day job.) I do feel qualified to speak on this topic, however, because my read of the situation is that it is indeed a "writer's block" which is a sub-niche of the more general "creativity block" that many people besides writers hit face first. I have no cure-all remedy, but I can report what I have observed over the past 25+ years in the sales/marketing profession which requires a variety of creative people to achieve its mission. The creative professionals that did not burn out and stayed very productive, in my experience, had a strong "method" to recharge their batteries on a regular (actual frequency varied) basis. For example, one graphics genius that I knew would go mountain climbing 2-3 times per year and said that he came back refreshed and ready to work. A very creative copywriter that I knew volunteered at a children's hospice once per week. It took her mind off of her work and she would come back to the job, "thinking clearly" as she liked to say. There are many, many more examples of this approach and I compare it to the farming industry in which land has to be left fallow or planted with different crops every few years to restore it to its optimal state for its preferred crop. Of course, the "treatment" will vary with each individual. Myself, I have to be creative on different things at different times because I run the sales/marketing show and ultimately am responsible for all projects. There was a time many years ago when the overwhelming stress of a specific position (we were in the "whale hunting" sales/marketing business in which we were solely working on 7-figure deals) had me re-kindle a childhood interest in freshwater fishing and it became my escape to clear my head. I did not realize it at the time, but it was my relief valve. Once I left that highly stressful position, my interest in fishing again dwindled away though I still get out there on occasion. The OP's friend might simply need such a coping mechanism. We all probably do at some time or another in our careers.
I think we gather a lot of stress subliminally while working. A writer, or for that matter any professional, has deadlines and targets. This can feed the stress to a major extent. Engaging oneself in some activities of liking or hobbies contributes as an excellent diversion. The stress we've gathered when in working mode gets an outlet and this release is probably why we start feeling creative or “clear” again. @chinesegirl07, there's one more point I would like to mention about your friend's problem. She has been for 10 years in writing which is quite long. Doing the same kind of work over and over produces a feeling of humdrum and saturation. Maybe, that's why your friend feels she has done enough and no longer enjoys it. Encourage her to try her hand at some different type of writing. A brain engaged in the same line of work for long becomes jaded and can't function productively as expected. A change is highly refreshing.
Most writers work from home when they are writing, which makes it hard to separate work and down time. I don't live in a big place, so when I'm sitting watching TV I can still see the computer that I use to write. When I'm experiencing creative stalemate, it's tricky because that's always there as a reminder. But I've got better at building in breaks for myself, and there are natural breaks brought about by my home life. I think the thing is to make sure that you know what's at the source of your block. Real life can interfere with work very easily. A lot of people I know get creatively blocked when they're depressed or stressed by other factors. Taking time off will not on its own solve that problem, so the only thing to do is take as long as it takes to think "What's the problem here? How can I solve this problem? How long will it take, and what help do I need?". For some people, the mere fact that they have a plan to go forward with is enough to bring back the motivation, and the motivation is the key issue. If you're able to be enthusiastic about what you're doing, then it's a lot easier to deal with the days when you sit to write and can't produce anything. Everyone has those; there are times when I sit in front of my computer and it takes 30 minutes to get a paragraph out, and when I read it I hate it. But if I've got a clear goal in mind I can shake it off and ease myself back in to writing. If it got to the point where writing itself was what was causing me to feel low, then I'd have to take a look at changing what I was doing for a while. "This isn't working right now, forcing it is going to make me feel worse and I don't want to drive myself crazy.", kind of thing. I guess it's harder to do if you're making a lot of money writing and your income is going to suffer dramatically. Right now I'm not (un)fortunate enough to be in that position, but one way or the other stress and depression can make you very ill and if it's a choice between my health and my work, I know which one of those needs to last me another 50+ years and that's the one I'm going to prioritise.
I appreciate all your overwhelming advice about her situation. Will definitely share this thread with her. By profession, she is a licensed chemical engineer. After she graduated from college, she did not try working in a corporate world instead she hone her talent in writing. She had been working at home for that long and sometimes people around her criticized her for the career she chose and in staying in front of the computer whole day. She tried teaching in a university for 1 school year and yes, she did enjoy it very much, however the stress is affecting her heart condition that she eventually give up teaching. Then went back to writing, she has been complaining that she is not enjoying it anymore. Now she is trying to find work related to chemical engineering still working from home and hope she can find a better one.
Sounds like she had turned herself into a content mill. 10-15 articles a day? Something tells me her quality went down over time and she found herself writing about the same stuff over and over again - a great way to get burned out. How often did she write about something new? How often did she have to spend several hours researching something that she was writing about? Part of what keeps writing interesting for me is the opportunity to learn new things. Perhaps she could try working as more of a generalist but also mention her engineering background as a specialist. With chemical engineering, I bet there would be quite a few other science and math-related niches she could tap into. Then there's any hobbies she might have. You mentioned her health - there's another topic to tap into. She might find a whole new specialty that she will find truly rewarding and maybe even fun.
There's no doubt that writing about the same stuff over and over is a drag. Sometimes to pay the bills you've just got to take what's there, but if it's the kind of stuff you've written about a hundred times before and not something you actively love it's exhausting. Even if it's something you do love, actually - a past client needed some very specific content on tennis, a sport I watch for fun, and by the end I found writing about it as much fun as trying to gouge my own eyes out with a wooden spoon. Variety in all things is helpful. I find it much more interesting to write five articles, ten blog posts, an ebook and a how-to guide on one subject than I would to write the same amount in one format. When you get to writing 20 500-word articles in a day, no matter how interesting the subject matter is it does feel a little bit like you're just stacking boxes on top of other boxes. And if that's your day every day, you start to dread sitting at your PC.
Well I don't know if I am properly a writer or ever was I did do writing gigs as a freelancer to get myself first earning online but I soon stopped and still did writing but it was more from the point of view of writing my own blog, writing ebooks and writing strategies for marketing clients. Love to write though and absolutely love the challenges that come with it. Though as a freelance writer I do find that it comes down to the quality of the client and how much you end up working for and whether its worth the effort or whether you should do something else.
I honestly think that if I had to crank out 10 or 15 articles a day, I'd burn out too. In my opinion, the real money in writing is copywriting. Content writing, while it can pay ok, is not where the real bread lies. Unless you're involved with a large client that really values content and pays for it. When you can charge $5000 for a single sales letter, or even $500 - for a couple of hours work, you can make big money working part time. I don't believe that writing either copy or content is a job you can do 50 hours per week. It takes too much out of you. YW need that downtime. The trick is to work 25 or 30 hours a week and make at least 6 figures, and it's certainly possible. While it's been said that as a native English writer, we're outnumbered by non-native speakers charging nothing, it doesn't really matter. Why compete for the types of jobs those people work on? They don't pay well no matter who's hired. I have said this before, and I'll say it again - the cream rises to the top. Nobody who is willing to pay an Indian writer to write content or copy for an English-speaking audience is going to pay $5K for a sales letter. Thee's a great expression - pay peanuts and getsmonkeys. No offense meant to Indian writers. Their are many talented ones out there. But you have to have a deep command of English in order to write well. Just as I would be a failure as a writer, even if I spoke Hindi. There are good writing jobs for everyone.