✍️ Diary of an Author: "Let Writers Go Broke"
Why Hollywood writers are up against a tough fight, and how staying independent as a writer will save you from the chaos.
Happy Sunday! In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn…
✍️ What the heck is going on in Hollywood with the writers’ strike
☕️ Why taking your writing career into your own hands is key
😎 How I built a thriving career as a writer — outside of traditional structures — and what I recommend for writers and authors to create self-sustaining careers for themselves
📖 3-Minute Story: How to Safeguard Your Career as a Writer
If you don’t know, the Writers’ Guild is on strike right now, and Hollywood writers are fighting for their rights in the trenches even as studio execs say their endgame is to let writers go broke before resuming contract negotiations.
As a former WGA member and TV writer, I know how heartbreaking it must be for writers — who have already been on strike for months — to read these headlines.
The article goes on to quote a studio executive who shares that “[t]he endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their house.”
The message is clear: big institutions don’t care about writers.
We saw that with Buzzfeed News — an award-winning news org, no less — when they laid off their writing staff and started replacing them with AI.
(I went into detail about this in my newsletter about Writers vs. AI, as there are a lot of nuances and complexities that exist when we’re talking about how AI can be both helpful and harmful to writers!)
When I was in Hollywood, I hated how writers were at the mercy of these huge entities. I craved something different: I wanted freedom. Freedom to travel, to write and publish what I want, and to be able to make a great living doing what I love.
I now live that dream life — thanks in part to finding my North Star and discovering the concept of essentialism — but a huge part of this journey was unlearning this idea that it’s more “stable” to rely on big companies to protect you.
Talented writers in Hollywood sell shows but are still on food stamps. Award-winning journalists face the pressure of layoffs in the digital age if their articles don’t inspire clicks. And freelance writers fear AI encroaching on their skill sets.
So how do writers and authors safeguard their livelihood and thrive in the digital age as Modern Authors?
There are three concepts that are key to unlocking a happier life as a writer:
🚀 Get clear on your writing superpowers
💻 Find and cultivate your 1,000 true fans as a writer
💵 Go freelance or publish your work online to build financial independence
There are many ways to achieve financial freedom as a writer, it’s just about carving the right path for you and what you want out of life.
I’ll continue to dive into these keys during this newsletter, but first I’d like to hear from you.
What do you need the most help with as a writer?
Based on your responses, I’ll craft more content just for you about this topic.
Feel free to share anything else you’re working on in the comments!
✨ 2 Quotes to Inspire You
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” — Nelson Mandela
“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else." — Epictetus
✍️ 1 Journal Prompt
What does freedom look like to you? Who do you look up to that lives a free life?
Feel free to share your reflections with other Modern Authors in the comments:
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
🎙 New Diary of an Author Podcast Episodes
6 Steps for Rewriting Your Work (5 Min)
🎥 Video of the Week: A Year in Photos
What can I say? It’s been an eventful year.
Watch more videos on my YouTube or TikTok.
📸 Photo of the Week
Am I obsessed with these ancient ruins? Yes, and you would be too if you were here!
Follow me on Twitter or Instagram for more!
⚡️ Upcoming Wednesday Edition: Manifesting Wealth and Abundance as a Writer
This Wednesday, Diary of an Author subscribers will get an exclusive issue about…
✨ Why “manifesting” isn’t just a woo-woo thing hippies do
🧪 The importance of mindset when it comes to building your dream writing life
📚 How creating your ideal identity as a successful author helps you achieve success faster, and some exercises on how to do this
Subscribe now so you don’t miss out! And thank you to my community for supporting this newsletter — it’s been an honor to write for you so far. 🙏
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy