✍️ Diary of an Author: LA is Dying and Writers vs. AI Updates
A trip to LA sparks thoughts on the state of Hollywood and how to find success as a writer.
Happy Sunday! In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn about…
✍️ A recent trip I took to LA and how it put into perspective the devastating effects of the strikes
☕️ An update on the state of creatives vs. AI
😎 How LA is struggling — empty storefronts, quiet restaurants, a hurting Rodeo Drive
❓ But First, a Quick Poll…
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📖 3-Minute Story: Los Angeles is Dying, and Writers vs. AI
Los Angeles is hurting.
As we cruised down Rodeo Drive, workers were removing the “Cartier” sign from the side of a building. Luxury shops had shuttered, and weekend shoppers were scarce.
Dinner at Badmaash — a once-popular Indian fusion restaurant near Fairfax — felt awkward as we were the only diners there on a Friday night.
Friends shared stories of paychecks slashed and jobs ending due to the strikes.
All of these moments underscore how my former home — once a beacon to writers all over the world — was feeling lonely, empty, and sad.
I felt this malaise tugging at the city post-COVID, which is why I decided to move, and I’m glad I no longer live in the winding pavement kingdom that is Los Angeles.
That’s not to say I don’t still hold pockets of nostalgia for sunshine-y SoCal. I visited my favorite coffeeshop, Paper or Plastik, which was a recommendation of a writer I admired during one of my first visits to LA — and also where I met my partner Kyle for the first time.
That coffeeshop has a perfect atmosphere for writing your screenplay, meeting up with friends, and I even hosted a few writing workshops in the dance studio space that’s attached to the wooden building.
One sip of the lavender chai latte brought me back to meditative moments spent walking through the tree-lined streets with my leather laptop bag, ready to sit down at the keys or with my journal and write my heart out.
However, my nostalgia was quickly shattered by traffic — still a constant in a poorly designed car-culture-forward city.
It’s clear that the writers’ strike and COVID dealt a death blow to many businesses, and a deepening recession isn’t going to make it any easier to live well here.
👩💻 AI vs. Writers - An Update
Over the summer, I wrote an article about AI vs. Writers, breaking down the (very real) threat that AI poses to the careers of freelance writers, journalists, and storytellers everywhere.
I’m all for progress, and I’m pro-technology and even pro-AI in many applications.
However, if you’re a writer with just one stream of income — diversification is going to be key for you in the coming years.
I say this with love: most writers will need to skill stack to make enough to live comfortably in coastal cities in the U.S. as technology progresses.
By “skill stack” I mean develop adjacent skills to your writing.
For example, I’m not just a writer: I’m a novelist, a freelance book ghostwriter, and I run this Substack and also spend time working on my social media presence.
I approach my writing as an entrepreneur, keeping my creative work sacred, but also diversifying the ways in which I earn a living. That’s what’s worked for me and kept my business earning multiple six-figures even through tumultuous times and markets — and this is even more important in the age of AI.
Tech companies are quickly replacing creatives and actors, releasing AI versions of celebrities and even the WGA couldn’t fully win the fight against AI, landing only minor provisions as AI models will be able to be trained on the body of work of all writers in Hollywood. (Although they did make strides elsewhere in attempting to gain some ground against AI.)
I’ll be honest, AI tools have gotten really impressive this year. Tools like Wondercraft are almost indistinguishable from the real human thing.
Even robots are getting pretty impressive, and I saw these food delivery robots on nearly every corner of LA.
Creatives who aren’t diversifying and thinking critically about how to differentiate their work from AI outputs may find themselves in a tight spot in the future.
🎶 A Night Out at the Bowl
Despite having lived in LA for the majority of my early twenties, I had never been to the Hollywood Bowl before.
My partner Kyle surprised me with tickets to Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service — bands I grew up listening to. Getting to see them at the Bowl on a cool fall night was neat — and a great way to wrap up our Los Angeles trip.
However, even the popular music venue had lots of empty rows, and tickets reselling for 20% of the full cost all around us.
LA might be dead, but there are signs of life for writers around the world who dare to think like artist-entrepreneurs.
✨ 2 Quotes to Inspire You
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." —Charles Darwin
"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." —Albert Einstein
✍️ 1 Journal Prompt for Reflection
What do you want for the future of your writing? In what ways can you think like an artist-entrepreneur?
Feel free to share your reflections with other Modern Authors in the comments:
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
3 Mistakes to Avoid When Self-Publishing Your Book on Amazon KDP
3 Steps: How to Write a Book Outline for Your Memoir or Nonfiction Book
🎙 New Diary of an Author Podcast Episodes
#76 Ten Health and Lifestyle Habits That Changed My Life (15 Minutes)
#75 How I Make $20,000-$30,000 Per Month as a Freelancer (11 Minutes)
I create these podcast episodes from my blog archives 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!*
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📸 Photo of the Week: Getting the Community Goods
The one place in my LA trip that was actually popping? Community Goods, which has the best matcha in LA.
Follow me on X/Twitter or Instagram for more!
⚡️ Upcoming Wednesday Edition: 3 Tips to Build Your Paid Newsletter on Substack
This Wednesday, Diary of an Author paid subscribers will get an exclusive issue about…
✨ How I’ve grown this newsletter on Substack so far
🧪 3 strategies that have helped me grow to $2,000+ of annual recurring revenue
📚 The unexpected benefits of writing weekly newsletters
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
Content wise would love to see more how-tos on moving into ghostwriting (I'm on the fiction side of things, and Upwork gave me my first go at it, but the fee was so low and they weren't up for negotiation), finding jobs, way to improve writing skill/craft, and just more freelancing stuff (especially, a very low budget...almost pre-pre-digital nomad preparation list) in general. Thanks so much for everything you already do and have done!