FROM THE DESK OF
Amy Suto
Hello! 👋 I’m Amy Suto, a published author and digital nomad. Subscribe to my newsletter here!
3 Steps: How to Write a Book Outline for Your Memoir or Nonfiction Book
Want to write a great memoir or nonfiction book? Everything starts with a great outline! Here are the 3 steps you need to follow to outline your book effectively, and why an outline is a critical part of your book writing process.
My Process: How I Ghostwrite Books as a Memoir Ghostwriter
Here’s my process for how I ghostwrite memoirs and nonfiction books as a memoir ghostwriter! If you’re looking for a freelance ghostwriter or editor for your book, read on to learn about my story-based approach.
Why Great Writing is Good for Business
Great writing grows businesses and changes careers. That’s why some of the most successful people invest heavily in blogs, books, email newsletters, and social media feeds. They don’t underestimate how great writing can transform their life and careers and open doors they never knew existed.
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.
Your Bio Sucks: How to Write a Better Bio for Your Website, LinkedIn, Resume, or Whatever
Okay, let me level with you in a way nobody in your life is doing right now: Your short bio/about me blurb? Y'know, that one paragraph or more you use to describe yourself on social media, dating profiles, websites, LinkedIn, whatever? It sucks. But you don't suck. You just suck at writing about yourself. It's okay, I'm here to help you.
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.
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!
How to Write a Scripted Podcast at the End of the World
We're living in extraordinary times, from the pandemic to the incredible revolution sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement. It's a reminder to all storytellers that we need to support the kinds of stories that reflect the reality we live in: that cop shows have glorified cops for far too long, that we haven't been questioning underlying structures of our world in the way that we need to in order to create dangerously and be good allies.
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?)
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?)
A Year of Writing: What I've Learned from Traveling, Writing for TV, Freelancing, & Ghostwriting Memoirs for People All Over the World
I'm on a rooftop bar in Paris, talking to an American who works in "security" in third world countries (read: definitely CIA) and an allegedly famous actor from Istanbul. The sun is setting, the actor is buying all of us shots, and we're toasting to meeting new people and getting out of our comfort zones in the golden glow of the evening.
How to Plan a Research Trip for Your Script or Novel
Want to make the most out of your research trip for your script or novel? Look no further! Here are my top tips to have inspired adventures.
