Its hard to find good independent writers because they are not trustworthy and their credentials like resume or reviews can be easily manipulated.
I occasionally get random messages from students who read my posts here and think I might be able to help them. It's just how it works when you're a forum member and you mention that you're a writer, especially if your grammar is halfway decent. It's not the reason I'm here; rather, I come here to learn from other writers and learn about the industry. In fact, I refuse most of the assignments I am offered by people who find me here, simply because they tend to be rotten assignments, for some reason. If other writers -- my theoretical competitors -- are getting business that way, it doesn't bother me at all, whether it's against forum rules or not.
I really don't get the hypercompetition thing. There seems to be more than enough business for everyone. The vicious stuff seems to come from foreign writers and companies who rely on lots of first-time customers. Decent independent writers seem to have more repeat business than they can handle and don't really care what other writers are doing. I say the more the merrier.
