✍️ My House Was Haunted. Now, It's Not.
Ghost vs. ghost in the Tuscan countryside. Plus: the overlooked enemies to our creativity.
Thank you for making Six-Figure Freelance Writer a bestselling book!
I got the news earlier this week while strolling through Florence, stracciatella gelato in hand, soaking up the kind of sunshine that makes everything feel like a good idea.
Since publishing this book, my inbox has been full of messages from writers who’ve raised their rates, landed dream clients, and finally turned their passion into a sustainable career.
I’m so glad this book is helping so many of you make writing your job — and if you’re still on the path, let this be proof that it’s possible.
In today’s newsletter, you’ll read about:
✨ The ghosts that are holding you back from reaching your potential (and the actual ghost that was living in my 100-year-old home)
✍️ High-paying writing jobs you may have missed last week
📚 Writing wins from the community here at From the Desk!
✍️ Missed This Past Week’s Writing Jobs?
Did you miss it? Here are the writing jobs on this past week’s job board:
A leading drone company is hiring a UX copywriter for a one-month full-time contract followed by part-time consulting — $60–$80/hour
A creative studio is hiring a senior writer and editor with deep knowledge of Disney theme parks
A parenting startup is hiring a part-time editorial writer to create app content and articles — $35–$50/hour
If you missed the last issue of my writing job board, check it out at the link below:
🙌 Writing Community Wins!
Here’s what some of your fellow writers in the community have been up to lately:
Julie Laufer just got one of her pieces published in Motley Bloom! Read it here. Awesome job, Julie!
Megan Okonsky sat on her first panel at the Greater Austin Book Fest. She got to talk with local authors and promote her book. Congrats, Megan!
Kevin Frasure just launched a course, and is helping his friends with their microbudget films. Way to be an advocate for the microbudget film community, Kevin!
❓ Want to see your community wins featured in an upcoming newsletter? Every week in my subscriber chat I ask for what amazing feats you’ve achieved that week, and I pick a handful to highlight.
Access the subscriber chat below:
📖 Writing, Travel, & Lifestyle Links
To make you smarter and more cultured.
📚 “When you stop asking for permission, you become dangerous.” Did you miss this week’s GuestStack interview with Yrsa Daley-Ward? She runs the Bestselling Publication the utter here on Substack, and is part of the community here on From the Desk of Amy Suto: Make Writing Your Job. She shared with us how to stop asking for permission and to create momentum for your art.
🙌 “Darling, your jealousy is showing and it clashes with your bio.” Glennon Doyle was on Substack — and then was bullied off of the platform. This is bad for all writers. More people on Substack = more readers who might stumble upon your work. This piece by Abbey Wade does a good job talking about the double standard women also create for themselves.
❌ Raising money isn’t success. A great piece by Sophia Amoruso on how bootstrapping a business is better than raising a bunch of venture capital. Similarily, I find parallels in writing as well: growing slowly (but steadily!) via Substack and self-publishing (channels without gatekeepers who decide what fits their taste vs. what fits readers’ tastes) is a better approach for a more sustainable career.
🫖 Sunday Tea: My House Was Haunted. Now, It's Not.
For the past four days, I’ve been staying in Tuscany — a sun-drenched slice of heaven that feels plucked straight from the pages of a novel.
I’m here on a writing retreat, surrounded by olive groves, watercolor workshops, and communal meals beneath the golden Italian sky with an amazing group of fellow writers (some of whom are part of the From the Desk community here on Substack!). It’s exactly as romantic as it sounds.
What I didn’t expect when I booked my flight to Italy? A one-on-one energy healing session that would reveal something shocking: my home in San Francisco is haunted.
I’ve done energy work before — last year in Korea, I had a session full of interesting epiphanies — but this one offered a new twist. According to the healer, the 100-year-old house I just moved into came with an extra, uninvited roommate: a ghost.
But not to worry, she said. She was going to take care of it, right in our session. With a drawing of a strange symbol and a slow exhale as she held her crystal pendulum aloft, the ghost supposedly went poof.
Later that day, I called my partner back in San Francisco to ask if anything strange had happened at home while I was in my session. As it turns out, something had: he felt a strange shaking that wasn’t tied to any local earthquakes. Coincidence? Maybe.
But after my energy healing session, I had felt noticeably lighter. Happier. Like something had shifted.
Was it a placebo effect? Or was the ghost laid to rest?
As a memoir ghostwriter, the irony wasn’t lost on me — and I’m really hoping I don’t have to go ghost v. ghost with an evil spirit upon my return to California.
But it got me thinking: there are plenty of ghosts that haunt us creatively.
That stack of mail you’ve been ignoring? Ghost.
The clutter in your office? Ghost.
That emotional baggage you’ve been meaning to deal with but haven’t quite gotten around to? Ghost.
These aren’t excuses not to write. But they are energy drains.
That’s why every Sunday, I host a 3-4 hour ritual I call “ghostbusting.” I clean my desk and then make a to-do list of everything draining my energy — mental, emotional, physical — and clear out whatever I can. What’s left gets scheduled for the week ahead, piece by piece.
Because when we clear out the energy drains, our creativity has room to breathe again.
Your house may not be haunted like mine (though if it still is, I now know who to call), but I bet there might be something lingering that’s asking to be released. Let it go. Free the ghost. And return to your writing with lighter shoulders.
💫 Amy’s Favorites: A Morning Yoga Practice
Not sponsored. Just my faves.
One of my favorite parts of this retreat? Morning yoga.
I’d forgotten how grounded I feel when I start the day that way — a little more present, a little less inclined to scroll through my never-ending inbox before breakfast. I’m already looking forward to folding it back into my routine once I’m back from the retreat.
When I lived in Los Angeles, I actually used to teach yoga. I ran a “Yoga for Writers” class in the park after my regular classes at local studios and gyms. There’s something about moving your body and then sitting down to write that makes the words flow easier — like you’ve cleared the static from your creative channel.
If you’re looking to build a practice, here’s my challenge: try making it to 2–3 yoga classes a week for one month. They don’t have to be fancy. You don’t even have to leave your house. Just roll out a mat in whatever corner of your space you’ve got and turn on a free YouTube video.
At the end of 30 days, check in with yourself. See how your body feels. See what your writing looks like.
You might just find it’s the habit that makes all your other habits easier.
Enjoyed today’s post? Please give it a “heart” ❤️ and share or restack it.
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
For so many reasons, I love this post! ❤️
I love my yoga practice!!!!!