The year is 2011. I’m sitting in a university lecture hall waiting to hear from the former editor of a national newspaper. By the time this lecture ends, I will have learned two important things:
- If you plan on being a journalist after university, pick another career – because writing is dead.
- If you plan on being a writer and don’t have a blog yet, you’re an idiot.
He wasn’t the first person to tell me that writing is dead. I’d heard it on what seemed like an endless loop since I first decided to pursue the career in high school.
From people with actual experience in the industry, as well as those who felt they had a knack for predicting the future.
It’s hard to say whether it was stubbornness or intuition that kept me going. I like to think it was a mix of both.
Over a decade later, I am proud to say that I am a professional writer. One who has persevered against the odds – forging a career in an industry that if the naysayers were to be believed, was already dead.
And I’m not alone. I have been continuously inspired by other writers I have worked with; ones who kept pursuing their dreams to become authors, editors and academics.
You might think that’s the end of my story, but it’s actually the beginning. Because while I survived the death of writing in my early career, that was far from the last time its demise has been predicted.
With the rise of AI, the art of the written word is once again on its deathbed. But, if you ask me: writing isn’t dying. It’s evolving. Just as it has done many times before.
From old to new media
Hindsight can be a beautiful thing. I’ll be honest – when I finished that lecture in 2011, I was scared. Afraid that the path I’d chosen was going to crumble beneath my feet.
But, now I realise I had nothing to worry about. I can see that I was caught in the eye of the storm. Where there is only destruction, not yet renewal.
Many established writers were witnessing the destruction of their way of being. They were watching media empires collapse and didn’t yet know something new could be built in their place.
When I began my studies, we were in the midst of a content marketing revolution. It was started by digital publishing and buoyed by the rise of the influencer. To bring some context to the times:
- Traditional media, which had always ruled, was in decline
- Influencers were rising, alongside new media formats like blogging and social media
- Blogging itself had grown from an informal online diary to a valuable publishing method where people shared their opinions and expertise
- With many consumers tired of highly-stylised campaigns; the personal nature of influencer marketing was helping cut through advertising fatigue
Those are the facts as they stand on paper. Now, I’ll tell you my side of the story.
2011: A year that changed it all
While I sat in lecture halls and submitted assignments, two key changes were happening in the world of writing that would help build my early career.
The first was a young woman starting a digital publication known as The Urban List. I didn’t know it yet, but this publication that I scoured every week would be where I began my communications career.
It would introduce me to the world of content marketing and open my eyes to the inner workings of new media and branded storytelling.
The second was Google’s Panda update which, for the first time, prioritised unique and high-quality content in search results.
These changes would make great writers an essential piece of the SEO puzzle – giving me the opportunity to write on every topic imaginable.
While both of these changes began in 2011, they wouldn’t apply to my journey until 2017 – after I had graduated and was ready to begin a full-time career.
In those 6 years, Urban List grew from a plucky startup to a respected digital brand and SEO writing became one of the most highly-sought skills in marketing.
If I had believed that lecturer back in 2011, I might have buried my writing career before it had begun.
Of course, we can’t (and don’t) listen to every person who offers advice. We trust our gut to make our own choices. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t be swayed.
Lately, I’ve been seeing a resurgence of the writing is dead narrative. We all know why – machines are here to take our place.
I’m seeing writers that are defiant but also those who are scared (like I once was). It doesn’t matter if they’re at the beginning of their careers or experienced professionals – we are all grappling with a new world order.
I’m here to tell you that writing is not dead (again). It’s changing, and we have to change with it.
The rise of the machines
With the release of ChatGPT in 2022, every one of us has been given the ability to produce more content, faster. But, is it better?
That’s an ongoing debate with no clear answer yet (if ever). I’m not about to pretend I’m the person to put it to rest – I can only offer my two cents.
When I first heard about AI, I was curious. How would it change what I do? What new career avenues might it open to me?
Then I tried it. My first experience was being tasked with editing AI-written articles. I was asked to humanise the writing and ensure it fit all the rules for good content.
To be frank, the articles were rubbish. The editing was more like rewriting, which meant the AI had little purpose beyond providing a basic format and key information.
So, then I became reluctant. I didn’t see how AI could help me when I was already highly-skilled and had developed effective writing processes over many years.
But eventually, as I knew the technology wasn’t going to go away, I mellowed. I know what it looks like to dig your heels in and resist change. I’d seen it in a lecture hall 15 years ago.
Whether I liked it or not, the writing landscape has changed. I can either evolve with it or be left behind.
But, that doesn’t mean writing is dead. Just as it was wrong to assume all those years ago, it would be naïve of me to predict the downfall of an artform that has survived since ancient civilisations.
Why do I believe this? Because it doesn’t matter if we’re communicating via hieroglyphs or chatbots – the purpose remains the same. We write because we have a story to tell.
We will keep developing new tools and methods of communication, but we will never replace the importance of storytelling.
It goes to the core of our everyday – from your best friend’s wedding speech to the news article you read this morning.
Having the power to write more is a good thing. It helps us keep up with the ever-increasing pace of modern life.
But writing better remains a skill. Whether by mind or machine, it takes practice to weave a good story.
The final word
There is a famous quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald which can be divisive, but it’s one that I love. It says: “Don’t write because you want to say something. Write because you have something to say.”
I don’t think everything we write has to be profound or life-altering. I’ve written enough web copy for plumbers to know that some content is meant for function, not narrative.
But, that doesn’t mean we should give in to the content machine. We shouldn’t produce more just because we can.
We should produce content that we believe matters – whether that’s an essay like this or a website for a local tradesperson.
Having been through at least one death (and rebirth) of writing in my career, here is what I am counting on to remain true:
- No matter how writing evolves in the future, the art of good storytelling will survive.
- Communicating with others is a skill that takes years to master; that’s what it means to be a communications professional.
PS – This article was written by a human and edited with the support of AI.