I built a social platform for writers after getting rejected by tech companies and publishers

I built a social platform for writers after getting rejected by tech companies and publishers

The backstory

I graduated from Purdue with a CS degree in May 2024. Math minor. Built a Flutter app for my church before graduation. Thought I was set.

Then came the rejections. Hundreds of job applications. Ghosted or rejected from every single one.

I ended up taking a job as a process assistant at an Amazon warehouse to pay bills.

Writing as an escape

I started writing in my free time. It became my escape from warehouse shifts. Eventually I had a manuscript I was proud of.

Submitted to publishers. Got rejected there too.

The feedback? "Too long for a first-time writer."

Building my own door

At some point I realized: I have the skills to build things. Why am I waiting for permission?

I started coding nights and weekends. Built a social platform specifically for writers.

I called it Loch.

The tech stack

Web app:

• Next.js 15 (App Router)
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• Zustand for state
• TanStack Query

iOS app:

• Swift/SwiftUI
• Native implementation

Backend:

• Python/FastAPI
• PostgreSQL
• Redis
• MinIO for media

Infrastructure:

• Self-hosted on Synology NAS
• Docker Compose
• Cloudflare Tunnel

Features

• Chapter-by-chapter publishing - Share your work in digestible pieces
• Built-in lo-fi music player - Mood-based ambient music for reading
• Clean reading experience - No ads, no clutter
• Works for everything - Fiction, poetry, essays, whatever you write

Challenges I faced

Safari audio issues Safari doesn't like streaming audio the same way Chrome does. Had to buffer the entire audio file instead of streaming. Also had to use a DOM-based audio element instead of the JavaScript Audio() constructor.

Self-hosting headaches

Cloudflare Tunnel kept going down when my NAS rebooted. Had to create a startup script to auto-restart it.

Building two apps solo

Maintaining feature parity between web and iOS as a solo dev is exhausting. But I learned a ton.

Where I'm at now

• 9 registered users (friends testing it)
• 260 unique visitors last week
• iOS TestFlight live
• Web app deployed

What's next

1. Get to 100 users
2. Figure out monetization
3. Maybe Android

Links

• Website: lochapp.com
• Web app: app.lochapp.com
• iOS TestFlight: Join beta

If you're a writer who's been told your work doesn't fit the mold - Loch is for us.

And if you're a dev who's been rejected from jobs - keep building. Your skills are yours.

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