Initially, I toyed with the idea of writing a sequel to A Freelancer’s Tale to highlight going beyond freelancing. It was intended to show what you can do by expanding into things like blogging and self-publishing. However, recent events have altered that idea slightly.
In fact, things have changed so much that I have to revamp the entire layout of the chapters.
Due to the impact of AI, a lot of things have changed drastically since I wrote my first book. So, I thought it would be a good idea to share my personal insights and how I’ve weathered the storm thus far.
Why Focus On Part 2 of A Freelancer’s Tale Now?
If you don’t know, I recently lost my last client to the allure of generative AI. And because I stand on principles and ethics, I could not do the job they wanted me to do, which is to replace our human content with that of a bot.
Instead of paying people a livable wage for their skills, a lot of companies want to slim down personnel to boost profits. Generative AI platforms give that capability at a fraction of the cost.
It’s the same old argument surrounding automation: a machine can do it cheaper and faster. What’s going to happen when every aspect of our lives is automated? Mortgage lenders don’t care if you’re “living your best life” because AI is giving you free time. The money has to come from somewhere.
Anyway, due to losing the last couple of clients, things took a turn for the worse. I’ve lost my income, lost my house, and my pets and belongings are scattered across the countryside…quite literally.
Yet, I still have hope that I am on the right side of history and that things will improve. So, again, A Freelancer’s Tale is going to be a story about not giving up and adapting to high-pressure stakes for survival.
The reason I want to start the sequel now is so that I can document the entire process of losing everything and then getting back onto my feet. I want to write about every major stage, how it impacted me, and how I overcame losing everything at 50-years-old.
Keep in mind that my memory isn’t as good as it used to be. Writing things down right now would be in my best interest.
What If I’m Not Successful at the End?
Some might think that it’s awfully silly to write a book about success before even reaching that success. The truth is that I wasn’t sure if I initially wanted to start writing this book before I had a positive ending. In reality, life doesn’t always have the outcomes you’d like.
No one really knows where they’re going to be a decade from now. A single instance can ultimately change your entire life, either for better or worse. In other words, life isn’t always full of happy endings.
Nonetheless, I am a writer. It’s what I want to do and what I’m good at doing. I may not become a best-selling author in the next 12 months or some rich content creator from the blogs and YouTube channels. However, I will always have something to write or create.
Besides, the end of Part 2 could be nothing more than a cliffhanger for Part 3 of the series.
How Long Will It Take to Write?
Because I am using this particular book as a sort of journal, I’m not 100% sure when it’ll be complete. The purpose is to document the major milestones of starting over as a writer. So, it might be something I work on over the span of several years.
Well, unless I somehow figure out how to market myself better or something I create goes mega-viral. When all is said and done, I only need enough to pay the bills before I can become a full-time writer again. Who knows? I could even buy a $3 million house this time next year.
But in the real world, my success is going to rest squarely on my shoulders. It all comes down to properly prioritizing my day and producing content people want to consume. Of course, that’s going to be difficult, maintaining a couple of part-time jobs while going to school full-time.
Regardless, Part 2 is probably going to be roughly three times the length of A Freelancer’s Tale. My first book clocked in at just over 35,000 words.
Unfortunately, my life is so chaotic right now that I have no idea what I’ll be doing from one day to the next. Obviously, I’m spending the majority of my time either looking for a job or attending school. Then, add in the fact that I’m homeless, and you’ve got yourself a perfect storm of calamity.
Long story short, I have no idea when I’ll have Part 2 of A Freelancer’s Tale completed. But I will be working on it.
What About My Other Stories?
In the past, I stated that I wanted to start working on one project at a time. That way, they get published. I know me, and adding another book or story would mean that I would have another pile of half-written stories that never go anywhere.
In this case, it’s a bit different. Because it’ll be essentially a running log of my life after 50, it’s not something that I’ll put 100% of my effort into writing. In reality, I’ll probably work on it every three months or so, depending on what milestones I reach and when.
So, I’ll continue to work on Part 2 of the series, but most of my novel-writing time will go into Fury and the second book to Shadows of Atlantic City. Not to mention wrapping up VII and the other stories I have partially written all over the Internet.
Unfortunately, I don’t know when any of those other projects will be complete. I still have to secure a permanent place to live and get established before I can really put a lot of effort into hammering out another book.
At the rate things are going, it shouldn’t take long. That is, as long as I don’t let up on the job and apartment hunt. Sure, I’ve had a lot of interviews lined up. But until I have a paycheck coming in, I can’t let up on the momentum.
I’ll be back to writing them eventually. But I have to prioritize things to make sure that I can sustain myself before getting back into writing the books.
Kicking Myself for Not Trying Harder
Let this be a lesson to anyone who reads this post. You can’t take yourself or your situation for granted. All it takes is for a new piece of technology to come out that replaces what you offer for less.
You could literally become obsolete overnight.
The sad thing is that I know that if I had put in the same gusto for my blogs and YouTube channels as I did for clients during my prime as a freelance writer, I wouldn’t be having a problem. All of my brands would be pulling in enough to live comfortably.
Yes, the chaos in my life slowed down the development of everything I wanted to build. But I also squandered a lot of time myself. Now, here I am, virtually starting over the summer I turned 50 years old.
Yet, like I’ve said hundreds of times before, part of being successful is how you persevere when things go south. Do you give up, or do you re-evaluate the situation and come up with a better strategy to succeed?
I’d rather side with the latter.
While it may mean that my idea of success will take a bit longer to achieve, I’m approaching it with a better understanding of myself and what I need to do to prevent this from ever happening again.
I view all of this as more of a wake-up call from the universe than anything.
Never Give Up, Never Surrender!
When bad things happen, it’s important to remember that those situations are merely temporary. How long they linger depends on a lot of variables, but how you handle them is the biggest factor.
If you give up, you’ll never know just how close you were to succeeding. Something could present itself at the last minute, or it could take years. Either way, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and what you can handle if you continue the journey.
Part 2 of A Freelancer’s Tale will be a testament to not giving up. Well, that’s the goal, anyway. I won’t give up, but it’s uncertain when things will align. For me, it’s about the journey and the lessons learned along the way.
And I can tell you with absolute certainty that I learned quite a bit over the last few months. Now, I just need to put what I learned into practice.
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