FROM THE DESK OF
Amy Suto
Hello! π Iβm Amy Suto, a published author and freelance memoir ghostwriter. Subscribe to my newsletter & writing job board here!
Working Remotely in Cusco, Peru
Working remotely in Cusco, Peru? Here are my top recommendations for what to eat, what to do, and where to stay in Cusco for digital nomads and remote workers! Plus: how to deal with the altitude and my travel company recommendations for the Inca Trail trek and Machu Picchu.
My Favorite AI Tool: Text-to-Audio in YOUR Voice [Wondercraft AI Review]
Want to know about my FAVORITE AI tool for text-to-audio in YOUR voice? Read my review of Wondercraft AI and get 50% off your subscription. This tool is invaluable for podcasters, writers, and audiobook creators!
How to Write a Memoir: Be a Detective in Your Own Life
I've written in the past about my overall process for writing memoirs: as a memoir ghostwriter, I do this for a living and love diving into people's stories with them.
Working Remotely in Galena, Illinois
We've been working on some exciting things lately, including the full redesign of This Here Blog. It's about time -- I've had the same Wordpress template since I was twelve, so we're past due for some changes around here. I'm working with Gertrude Pillena over at Design Kick, a super cool design firm based in Singapore.
So You Wanna Be a Great Writer, Artist, or Musician: How to "Honor the Work" as a Creative
If you've ever seen a video of the art prodigy ZhaoXiaoli, a Beijing-based painter who turns trash into her canvas and tools, it's pretty clear there's an incredible amount of creativity not only in her work, but in how she presents it.
How Much Does Hiring a Memoir Ghostwriter Cost?
Since COVID started, I've gotten an incredible amount of inquiries for my services as a memoir ghostwriter. I think that's because, in part, we've all been faced with our own mortality in the face of a massive crisis. When we die, what gets left behind? Who will tell our stories? That's where hiring a ghostwriter for your memoir comes in.
Quarantine Nomads: How Freelancers Can Live and Work Remotely and Safely During COVID-19
I spent most of this year quarantined in Los Angeles, sitting at the dinner table with my cat and Zooming with friends over cocktails and societal outrage for five whole months. I've taken COVID pretty seriously, seeing friends only for the occasional masked hike or social distanced hang.
Nobody is Going to Make Your Thing: The Cavalry Isn't Coming and Other Hollywood Pep Talks
I get a lot of people who ask me how to get started in the industry, i.e. how to sell a script or something or get somebody to produce your idea or get a studio to buy your screenplay or make your podcast or whatever.
My Freelance Writing Workflow: Billing, Invoicing, Contracts and More (How to Manage Your Freelance Writing Business)
Like most freelance writers and people on the planet earth, I don't really enjoy things like contracts, billing, invoicing, and all that jazz. If it was up to me, I'd spend my days frolicking through the forest writing poetry on tree bark and learning how to whittle tiny figurines of pandas.
My Advice to 2020 and 2021 Film School Graduates: Navigating the Post-COVID Entertainment Industry and Building a New Path
I've written a lot on my blog about traditional entrypoints for the industry, from surviving being an agency assistant to networking authentically to the difference between support staff positions in the writers' room. Now, I'm modifying my advice, in part because I don't think the assistant route is a viable one for writers anymore.
How to Produce a Scripted Podcast
We're all about scripted podcasts here on the ol' blog nowadays! If you missed my post about how to write a scripted podcast, I'd recommend starting there. After all, there is no scripted podcast without a script!
Content Writing: How to Get Hired as a Blogger and Actually Get Paid to Have Opinions on the Internet
It's 4pm, and I'm settled on my chaise lounge by my open window overlooking the LA skyline dotted by palm trees, a fresh breeze blowing gently. The warm sunlight streams in as I type away on my laptop, sipping an iced tea as I share a steady stream of thoughts on the internet about why your five waffle irons are cluttering your kitchen, or how authors can connect with their audiences by showing the #struggles of what it's like behind-the-scenes as we spin words into fiction.
A New Writer's Guide to Moving to Los Angeles & Surviving Hollywood
Hello! Welcome to Los Angeles. I am writing this from Pandemic Times, but one day soon it will not be The End of the World (I so dearly hope) and in that time the migration of new writers coming to this city to make it in Hollywood will resume.
Remote Work Survival Guide: How to Work from Home and Not Lose Your Goddamn Mind
So, I heard you're working from home now! WELCOME to the league of pajama-wearing workers like myself. We've been doing this for awhile, come on in, the water's just fine. (So you can stop hoarding water bottles now, okay?)
Pandemic Diaries: How Writers Can 'Create Dangerously' in Times of Turmoil
Things are tough right now: how do we make the best of a crisis while taking care of ourselves and others? Part of the way I'm staying sane throughout this pandemic is by connecting frequently with friends and family over the phone and via FaceTime, reading good books, going on walks, and trying to focus on work even in a time of crisis.
10 Things To Do While Under Coronavirus Self-Quarantine for Writers and Creatives (Pandemic Survival Guide!)
In a matter of days, my writers' room began working from home, all my meetings and events got cancelled, and we had to put a pin in all of the in-person programming we had set up for Kingdom of Pavement. I started lining up freelance work for when my writers' room ends with the intention of just hanging out at home for a bit while this whole pandemic absorbs the entire city and also does the impossible: quell Los Angeles traffic. (Drag racing on Sunset Blvd, anyone?)
The 9 Things I Did Right in My Writing Career in 2019
Hello! It's time for my 2019 wrap-up post, and I thought I'd go over the 9 things I did right this year in my writing and in life.