FROM THE DESK OF
Amy Suto
Hello! 👋 I’m Amy Suto, a published author and freelance memoir ghostwriter. Subscribe to my newsletter & writing job board here!
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.
How to Hire and Work with Freelancer Writers
When I'm not writing my scripted podcast, working in a TV writers' room, or on the road traveling for work and for play, I'm a freelance writer and memoir ghostwriter.
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.
Weekend Read: Ronan Farrow's Catch & Kill, Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, oh and also Cold War Kids Have a New Album
Hello! Happy November, world. I've been writing my millennial underground this story for #NaNoWriMo, and, in classic National Novel Writing Month form, I'm behind. But if you keep visiting amysuto.com/underground, you'll find new chapters added.
How to Ghostwrite a Memoir (Ghostwriting 101)
Anyways, it's October and I haven't blogged since I got back from Berlin. It's also sPoOkY sEaSoN which means I have to go to Halloween parties thrown by actors who somehow have ENDLESS costume/wig/special effects makeup to the point where 1 actor friend could outfit all the dayplayers on an episode of THE WALKING DEAD and STILL have leftover digs for the cast of FEAR THE WALKING DEAD.
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.
THE PRISONER (1967): Day 5 of 31 Days of Spy Films & Television
Welcome back, spy fans! This is day 5 of my non-consecutive blog series of the best spy shows and movies.
4 Lessons Writers Can Learn from Yoga and Meditation
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.
How to Be an Introverted Writer in Hollywood and Other Truths about 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.
Writing Routines: A Holistic Approach to Crafting Your Weekly Writing Schedule
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.
The 4 Best Los Angeles Coffeeshops to Write Your Screenplay In
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.
The Americans: Day 4 of 31 Days of Spy Films & Television
Because I work on a spy show, I knew I had to see the full series. I, like so many people I know, gave up around season 1 because I found it a bit dull. On the spectrum, I prefer a bit more elevated spy thrillers because I find that if you get too grounded you run the risk of something too muddled and pedantic rather than a slick and gut-wrenching show that hits in an emotional place while keeping the tension high.
A Writers' Life in 2018: Novel Writing, Freelancing, First Episode of Television
It's December! You know what that means: a lengthy reflection on the year that's passed, with all the ups and downs and status on my impending carpal tunnel!
