There was a point in my life where I really related to John Mulaney’s comedy sketch joke that he was a chronic people pleaser. “Running for the mayor of nothing” was the line when it came to trying to make others happy.
I wanted to do the same thing for the longest time. Write to please others’ expectations. And there’s a difference between writing for a job or for myself. When you’re given an assignment, there’s only so much you can do, especially for freelance writers.