✍️ Desk of Amy Suto: From Freelance Writer to Fiction Author
My shift from freelance writer to fiction author.
Happy Sunday! In today’s newsletter, you’ll read about…
✍️ How I’m transitioning from freelance writer to fiction author
☕️ Why this transition has been years in the making
😎 What to expect from this Substack publication moving forward
📖 3-Minute Story: From Freelance Writer to Fiction Author
For the last 8 years, I’ve been working professionally as a freelance writer.
All of my knowledge, everything I could possibly tell you about how to succeed as I did as a freelance writer? I poured it into my book Six-Figure Freelance Writer: A Holistic Guide on Finding Freedom in Freelancing.
Since writing Six-Figure Freelance Writer, I keep finding myself referring people to it when they ask about how to make a living as a writer. There’s nothing more I haven’t covered in the book that I can add to the conversation outside of helping individuals discover how to apply the concepts to their unique situations.
Last year I wrote about how I peaked as a freelance writer, hitting my dream rate of $750/hour.
Briefly, I considered leaning more into the tech world and building things there, but ultimately I kept finding myself coming back to the fiction that I loved working on, and here we are!
We’re doing it live, folks! That’s part of the fun of this publication. You get to see the evolution of my journey, and see what my revelations sparks for you when you contemplate your own path.
For the last month, I’ve been working on short stories for a new detective series that I’ll talk more about when I’ve made more progress. I’ve started to submit my work to fellowships, short story competitions, and residency programs. (If you have any favorites, would love to hear about them!)
From the Desk of Amy Suto will continue to hit my three major themes:
✍️ Writing. How can writers improve their craft, write to be read, and monetize their work through Substack, book sales, competitions, and more?
📚 Books. I’m on track to hit my goal of reading 100 books this year, and I’ll continue to share with you the unexpected benefits of reading fiction, a breakdown of popular genres like the romantasy genre, and other trends like influencers hiring book stylists to make them look smart. And, of course, I’ll recommend my favorite books to you!
🌎 Travel. As a full-time digital nomad, I’ll share with you my favorite places to work remotely, lessons I’ve learned as a digital nomad, and slice-of-life moments from my daily life as a traveler and writer.
The only thing that will really change is a shifting of focus: away from freelancing, and towards fiction writing.
I won’t lie, the shift in focus is a little intimidating.
I already know my clients value my ghostwriting for their books, and I know y’all value the knowledge I’ve shared with you so far here on Substack and in my book Six-Figure Freelance Writer. I know Hollywood valued me enough to give me a writing credit on a show in my favorite genre.
But I have yet to fully prove myself as a fiction author. It’s scary! But exciting. And I can’t wait to start to walk that path and share more about what it’s like: to learn how to create a sustainable life as a writer of worlds beyond the one we’re in right now.
I know this: the fiction authors I love have given me so many gifts in my life. They’ve shown me stories that have inspired courage, adventure, and other parts of myself that have bloomed because of the inspiration I gained from my favorite stories.
I want to be that writer for others: to pen the stories that change your life — even just a little bit.
It’s the hard that I want to choose for myself.
Won’t you join me and see how it goes?
Here are more posts of mine you may find interesting:
✨ 2 Things I’ve Read and Loved This Week…
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. You can find my full fiction book list here (affiliate link).
…and A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas. Book reviews coming soon, but I touch on these books briefly in my last newsletter on the Romantasy genre.
✍️ 1 Journal Prompt for Reflection
Passion Pursuit: List five activities that make you lose track of time. What is it about these activities that captivates you? How do they align with your ideal life path?
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
🎥 Video of the Week: Month 8 Substack Update
📸 Photo of the Week: Patisserie Run in Seoul, South Korea
Acquiring some cute pastries here in Seoul during my afternoon lunch break.
Follow me on Substack Notes or Instagram for more!
⚡️ Upcoming Wednesday Edition: 3 Lessons in Making Mysteries from the Detective Genre
This Wednesday, ✍️ From the Desk of Amy Suto paid subscribers will get an exclusive issue about…
✨ How to write a mystery series
🧪 What detective series can teach us about ourselves
📚 The ingredients of a good mystery
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
p.s. I create my newsletter voiceovers and my podcast episodes using the tool Wondercraft AI, a text-to-speech tool that speaks in YOUR voice. 🎙 Use my code SUTO50 or this link to get 50% off your Wondercraft AI subscription! (paid/affiliate link)
“It’s the hard that I want to choose for myself.” ⬅️ I love that!
That’s great Amy, best of luck! 😊