Desk of Amy Suto

TV writer who eats danger for breakfast

4 Lessons Writers Can Learn from Yoga and Meditation

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As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I’m in the middle of training for my yoga certification so I can teach yoga for writers. As someone who loves to experiment with ways to improve my writing and creative mind, yoga and meditation were always something I turned to in order to find space for my process. Now, I’m taking a deep dive, and it’s been transformative.

You don’t have to spend eight hours like me every Sunday doing a million chatarangas to get the benefits of yoga in your writing process. Here are some of the lessons and tools from yoga that anyone can use, regardless of your ability to put your foot behind your head:

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How to Be an Introverted Writer in Hollywood and Other Truths about Introversion

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this is an unnecessarily moody stock photo but you know what? I’m HERE for it

When I mention to someone that I’m an introvert, I’m usually met with some sentiment of surprise. This is less of a comment on my own outspokenness and social nature, and more of an indication that a lot of people misunderstand introverts.

INTJs in particular — I’m astonished how many of you have contacted me about one of the most popular posts on this blog about the peculiarities of INTJs. From what I’ve heard from my readers, introversion is still a bit of an enigma to most of society. (Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me!)

The definition of introversion is simple: an introvert is someone who gains energy by time spent alone.

That’s it, folks. When you think about traits commonly associated with introverts — like shyness or social anxiety — those are separate from being an introvert, although can coincide.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book Quiet by Susan Cain, which gets more in-depth into the definition of introversion:

As an introverted writer, I’m going to share some of the observations I’ve made about making my way through the world and what I wish everyone knew about working with introverts. Let’s get started!

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I’m Hosting Writing Workshops in Los Angeles!

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It’s official — I’m partnering with AirBnb to host writing workshops on select Saturdays in Los Angeles this spring!

This space is this gorgeous coffeeshop in mid-city. We’ll be meeting in the back room, a beautiful light-filled studio known as MiMoDa Studio @ Paper or Plastik that was also used as a ballet studio where Natalie Portman trained for BLACK SWAN.

I’ve been wanting to teach writing workshops in Los Angeles for awhile, but haven’t had the time. At the beginning of this year, one of my resolutions was to create safe spaces and communities for writers out here — and I’m so glad to be able to do it now in one of my favorite places.

I’m limiting each workshop to small groups to keep it small and intimate. Admission includes a free latte or coffee drink, a TV writing workbook I’ve created specifically for this writing workshop, and an hour-long seminar/workshop in the studio space followed by a half-hour of one-on-one discussion and work in the main cafe area.

I wanted to create a workshop that is accessible to everyone and group-oriented. I’ll adjust the subject matter to who’s attending and the level of experience of the group, as well as what people want to learn. Then, I’ll open up the floor to you and your ideas. We’ll move pretty quickly — which is why we’ll then move to the main cafe area to finish up our discussion from 4-4:30pm as to make sure we have time for everybody’s ideas!

More info can be found on the event page — I’d love to see you there! Get at me on Twitter if you have any questions!

I’m also going to be teaching some yoga classes for writers later this spring. Get more info about upcoming yoga classes and more here!

Hope to meet you at one of my events!

Writing Routines: A Holistic Approach to Crafting Your Weekly Writing Schedule

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If you think I’m writing these blog posts in part so I can spend my mornings browsing aesthetically pleasing photos of coffee and desks and people writing in dramatic lighting, you’d be 100% right.

Also, it’s January, so I’m on that Self Development Kick that we all get when advertisers are hammering into our minds how we can be better, and our new years’ resolutions haven’t faded from our minds for the next 11 months.

Okay, I say that but I love setting and achieving my new years’ resolutions. Maybe it’s my obsessive compulsion tendencies and love for color coding and aggressive goal-setting, but I just adore making elaborate goal tracking whiteboards and sharing my insane notecarding process on my Instagram.

as it turns out, if you write a pilot full of logic puzzles and mysteries, you have to figure out how all those logic puzzles and mysteries actually work

What Makes a Successful Weekly Writing Routine

When I was thinking about my most successful years, I realized that it comes down to how much control I have over my weekly schedule. If I have more flexible hours, I’m able to design my writing routine around creatively inspiring activities that feed into what I’m working on. If I’m struggling with a boatload of freelance projects, I find myself feeling creatively exhausted and my writing suffers.

The best weekly writing routines are holistic and well-rounded: an ideal schedule includes activities that are creative, kinetic, and reflective, and support your writing process so that you can hit the page feeling energized and inspired.

So, using my own trial-and-error, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to build your perfect weekly writing routine:

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The 4 Best Los Angeles Coffeeshops to Write Your Screenplay In

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So the best new years’ resolution I’ve ever achieved is ‘become a regular in independently-owned coffeeshops I love.’ And as a screenwriter living in Los Angeles, this basically makes me a god. Or just someone who drinks way too much coffee.

Anyways, here’s my ultimate ranking of the top 4 Los Angeles coffeeshops to write your screenplay in:

Coffeeshop #1: Paper or Plastik (Mid-City)

I found this gem six years ago and haven’t stopped taking all my dates/friends/networking drinks/acquaintances/mortal enemies since. If you and I have met up for drinks or coffee, it’s probably been here.

This coffeeshop is a cool, hipster spot that’s part ballet-studio, part coffeeshop, part cafe. It’s got some incredible food, dope specialty lattes (like a cinnamon whiskey latte!), and cool events. They often play movie soundtracks and other great music so if you forget your headphones, you won’t go uninspired.

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