Writing Through the Struggles: Old School Blues and Modern Mayhem

Writers, by nature, are often driven to take on challenges. For centuries, we’ve willingly subjected ourselves to the wild ride of creativity — equal parts magic, breakdown, and black coffee. Whether you were scribbling by candlelight in the 1800s or hyperventilating over WordPress plugins in 2025, the core truth remains: writing is hard, hilarious, and sometimes horrifying.

So, let’s take a walk (or crawl) through the chaos, writing the struggles of old days and today’s modern messes — with a bit of humor and a few research-backed truths along the way.

Scene 1: Indie Authors vs. 1800s Self-Publishers

Old Days:

Self-publishing? Only if you were a literal printing press owner or, as history records, extremely determined. You’d need ink, paper, typesetting equipment, and a good chance of going broke.

Today:

In 2025, anyone with Wi-Fi and a dream can publish an eBook, paperback, audiobook, or web serial. Great, right? Until you realize you also have to be your editor, graphic designer, marketer, social media manager, website designer, and possibly your own #1 fan.

Scenario:

You upload your book to Amazon KDP. You think you’ve conquered the literary world.

You refresh sales.

Two downloads.

Are you testing if the link works?

Reality:

According to Bowker (2021), nearly 2 million self-published books are released annually. That’s not a typo. Suddenly, you’re competing with 1,999,999 other ambitious souls who also thought they were the next Jane Austen.

Scene 2: Bloggers Then vs. Now

Then:

Picture a 1920s columnist hunched over a manual typewriter, typing out witty essays for the local paper, sending them off by mail, hoping an editor finds them worthy of ink and space.

Now:

You hit “publish” on your blog, only for a spam bot to be your first comment:

“Great post! Visit cheapluxurybags.xyz for free giveaways.”

Bonus:

You’re trying to craft profound essays while TikTok is calling, your phone is buzzing, and your Grammarly sidebar passively highlights every sentence, as if you’re a literary criminal.

Research backs it:

Modern writers report that information overload and multitasking (such as having 27 open browser tabs) have a negative impact on creativity and focus (Mark, Voida, & Cardello, 2012). Yet somehow, we continue.

Scene 3: Screenwriters’ Tragedy Then vs. Now

Old Days:

Early screenwriters wrote on paper, and if the director hated it, they’d physically throw it in the trash. Dramatic? Yes. But also satisfying in a “throw your script in a fireplace” kind of way.

Now:

Your screenplay gets read on a tablet at 2x speed by a 23-year-old assistant who texted through half of it.

Feedback?

“Needs more vibes.”

The Struggle:

Today’s writers might receive notes like “make it more Gen Z friendly” or “can you add a talking ferret?” While absurd, adapting to market trends is a survival skill, not a luxury (Conor, 2021).

Scene 4: The Agony of Modern Distractions

Scenario:

You light a scented candle, put on lo-fi beats, and open your laptop.

• 2 seconds later: Phone buzzes.

• 5 minutes later: Instagram reel about 18th-century sword fighting.

• 15 minutes later: Google search for “Could I legally own a sword?”

• 30 minutes later: The only thing you’ve written is your online shopping cart description:

“One sword, for creative purposes.”

Modern writers are drowning in distractions. Research confirms that constant notification interruptions can reduce productivity by as much as 40% (Mark, Gudith, & Klocke, 2008). But hey, we feel productive while researching sword etiquette for our contemporary romance.

Scene 5: The Writing Group

Old Days:

Gathered in dim-lit pubs or secret salons, writers read each other’s work by candlelight. They debated. They dueled (sometimes literally).

Now:

Your critique partner texts:

“Sorry, I fell asleep reading your draft. That’s a compliment, right?”

Or your group chat has somehow turned into a therapy circle, where you discuss existential dread more than character arcs. Honestly? Still counts as progress.

Scene 6: AI — The Uninvited Coworker

In 2025, AI is like the coworker who won’t leave.

AI Generated:

“Once upon a time, a brave knight fought a dragon.”

Human Writer:

“But what about the knight’s childhood trauma? His unresolved grief? His forbidden love with the dragon’s cousin?”

Despite AI’s impressive capabilities, it can’t replicate the nuance of the human experience (Floridi & Chiriatti, 2020). Yet here we are, competing with bots who don’t need coffee breaks.

Scene 7: Writer Identity Crisis

Every generation of writers has one thing in common: We constantly wonder if we’re wasting our time.

Old Days:

Is this worthy of print and literary circles?

Now:

Is this worthy of trending on BookTok?

Should I turn this chapter into a series of Instagram quotes?

We all fight the imposter syndrome monster — lovingly referred to by psychologists as “a pervasive feeling of inadequacy” (Bravata et al., 2019) — but we also keep going, fueled by caffeine, tears, and stubborn hope.

Scene 8: Why We Still Write

Despite rejection letters, low book sales, algorithm drama, and the occasional comment section troll who woke up choosing violence, writers don’t stop.

Whether you’re:

• Writing your first book,

• Blogging to six loyal readers (hi Mom),

• Or staring at your screenplay wondering if anyone even watches movies without talking animals anymore, you are part of a timeless, chaotic, and slightly deranged tradition of storytellers who will never entirely give up.

So, pour another cup of coffee (or wine), open that messy draft, and remember: You are doing the work of every candle-burning, quill-snapping, rejection-collecting writer who came before you.

And if your Wi-Fi crashes mid-chapter? Congratulations — you’ve just unlocked an authentic old-school writing experience.

References

Bowker. (2021). Self-publishing statistics: Annual report. Retrieved from https://www.bowker.com

Bravata, D. M., et al. (2019). Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of imposter syndrome: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(4), 1252–1275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1

Conor, B. (2021). Screenwriting and the global screen industry. Routledge.

Floridi, L., & Chiriatti, M. (2020). GPT-3: Its nature, scope, limits, and consequences. Philosophy & Technology, 34, 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00403-0

Kellogg, R. T. (1994). The psychology of writing. Oxford University Press.

King, S. (2000). On writing: A memoir of the craft. Scribner.

Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress. CHI ’08: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 107–110.

Mark, G., Voida, S., & Cardello, A. (2012). A pace not dictated by electrons: An empirical study of work without email. CHI Conference Proceedings, 555–564.

Martin, R. A. (2007). The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Elsevier.

Writer’s Digest. (2019). Writing habits survey results. Writer’s Digest Magazine.