Day in the Life of a Memoir Ghostwriter
It’s 10am in Midtown Manhattan, and I’m taking you with me to show you a day in the life of a memoir ghostwriter! Come join me on a typical day as a digital nomad and freelance writer in the city for the month.
My Morning as a Freelance Memoir Ghostwriter in NYC
I live the “no alarm clock” life, which means I roll out of bed and get going whenever my internal clock is like, “yes, it’s time for the day today.” Waking up on an intuitive schedule allows me to get the rest I need and operate as my most creative self. As a writer, creativity is a precious resource that I’m always optimizing for!
Every morning after I roll out of bed, I go on a walk and get some morning sun (with no sunglasses or sunscreen) to wake up and get some vitamin D. I take inspiration from Andrew Huberman with this aspect of my morning routine: his podcast encouraged me to do this.
In NYC, I walk to get my morning matcha/ginger shot all-in-one from Cha Cha Matcha. This morning pick-me-up comes a little earlier than science recommends (usually you should drink caffeine ~ 2 hours after waking) but on my travels it’s hard to wait for that long. In the mornings, I almost always have oatmeal that my partner and I cook at our place or we pick up overnight oats from Cha Cha Matcha.
When I get back to my computer, it’s 10:30am and time for me to do a quick pass through my emails and then dive into deep work for the day. Today, I’m reviewing final files for a memoir client before their book is published, and it’s amazing to see the entire book put together so beautifully.
Then, it’s time for me to do some writing. I have writing sessions first thing in the morning when my brain is fresh and I’m able to dedicate the most energy to my writing work.
At the end of my morning writing, I do some personal journaling and then complete Andrew Huberman’s NSDR meditation to close out my morning.
My Afternoon Reset and Workout
To avoid the afternoon slump, I switch locations and get some outdoor time. For lunch, I swing by Sweetgreen and eat my salad outside at Bryant Park. I try and get sunshine throughout my day when it’s around, and I do my best to eat healthy throughout my day — even when I’m on the road and don’t do a ton of cooking.
Then, I go for another walk to pick up a chai latte and do a bit more work. Today Felix was my location of choice! This cavernous coffeeshop on Park Ave was a bit overpriced, but I loved the library aesthetic. After wrapping up some writing at around 3pm, it’s time to work out at a nearby gym.
Fitness is a non-negotiable for me. It’s something I do every day in some form, from going on walks to lifting heavy or running in the gym. I use Future, which is an app where a personal trainer creates workouts for me — a big game changer when I travel so I can stick to my custom workout plan even when my gym changes or I need bodyweight workouts thrown into the mix.
After my workout, I come back and wrap up my work for the day and log off! I take some time to read a memoir one of my clients recommended to me, and then make plans for my evening with my partner.
Evening Exploration as a Memoir Ghostwriter + Digital Nomad
The nice thing about being a digital nomad is that I can spend my evenings exploring the city I’m living in for the month. This month, I’ve seen so many incredible Broadway plays and musicals: from catching Neil Patrick Harris in Peter Pan Goes Wrong to seeing Hamilton and Book of Mormon for the first time, I definitely got the most out of what the city has to offer.
The best hack for Broadway is to get the TKTS app and to get discount tickets day-of-the-show at the TKTS booth near Time’s Square. We even scored free tickets to Hades Town five minutes before the show started! My partner Kyle was the one who showed me these NYC hacks as someone who used to live in the city, so spend a little time digging for better deals than what’s presented for ticket prices.
Before a show, we grabbed dinner at a burger place with vegan options — I can’t recommend it so won’t name the place — and after the show we came back and did our evening routine before starting over with another day.
How Travel Inspires My Writing as a Freelance Memoir Ghostwriter
My work as a memoir ghostwriter is augmented by my travels. I’m able to write more widely about different people, subjects, and places due to the fact I’m so well-traveled and am familiar with so many different cities and walks of life.
If you’re looking to hire a memoir ghostwriter for your memoir or narrative nonfiction piece, you should make sure your writer takes their creative life seriously. Your freelancer should be inspired, thoughtful, and an avid reader who also explores the world. This is a combination of traits that I’ve seen give my work superpowers, and if you’d like my help with ghostwriting, editing, or publishing your book — let me know!