✍️ Your Dream Writing Life Is Possible — But It’ll Cost You These 3 Things
The writing life you want is within reach — if you’re willing to trade comfort for momentum.
This week’s Sunday Tea is for every writer who’s quietly wondering if maybe — just maybe — life was never meant to revolve around constant Slack pings, performance reviews, and eating sad desk lunches under fluorescent lighting.
Because here’s a wild idea: what if your dream writing life isn’t some far-off fantasy, but a Tuesday morning where you’re writing something meaningful… and your passport is never too far from reach?
I’ve built that life — one ghostwritten memoir, one international flight, and one opinionated Substack at a time. But the dream doesn’t arrive via Google Calendar invite. It demands a few sacrifices.
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to give up — and what you’ll gain in return.
📚 P.S. Want to be a beta reader? I’m looking for early readers for the upcoming second edition of Six-Figure Writer. If you’re interested, sign up here.
In today’s newsletter, you’ll read about:
✨ The writing life you want is within reach — if you’re willing to trade comfort for momentum
✍️ 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 the most recent job board:
A medical device company is hiring a freelance medical writer to shape clear, compelling stories at $90–$130/hour.
A global nonprofit is hiring a brand and narrative lead to guide their voice during a pivotal chapter for $8,000/month.
Six authors — from a top Twitch streamer to a romantasy debut — are looking for every kind of freelance book editor: developmental editors, line editors, and proofreaders.
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:
- just had a short story anthology come out! Here’s what she shared: “My short story 'Kindness' is in an anthology that came out yesterday! It's my first work published in a book! I'm so proud and so excited. It's a sapphic romantasy anthology: books2read.com/byhersword” 🎉 Congrats, Susanne!
- just made the leap to go freelance, and is crushing it! Here’s what he shared: “After leaving my job last month to freelance, I landed a pitch to a senior editor at a major sports media company. He wants to discuss the story more in depth this Friday. Fingers crossed he likes it! This is my first ever pitch, so it's all a new experience for me.”
- is spicing things up with a writing challenge! Here’s what she shared: “I entered a 10-day writing challenge to boost the creative juices a bit and flex some fantasy writing muscles—which is WAY out of my comfort zone. It doesn't feel like a win yet, but my brain keeps telling me it will be 😅”
❓ 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:
🫖 Sunday Tea: Your Dream Writing Life Is Possible — But It’ll Cost You These 3 Things
I’m a fan of the advice to follow your dreams — but not in the vague, Pinterest-quote way. I mean the real, practical kind of dream-following: the kind where you take daily action, build your own systems, and create a writing life on your own terms.
You don’t need a fancy MFA. You don’t need to land a big book deal (or any book deal at all!) And you definitely don’t need to stay stuck in a 9–5 you hate just because it’s “safe.”
What you do need? The willingness to trade in some comfortable habits for the kind of growth that actually leads to creative freedom.
Here’s what your dream writing life will cost you — and why it’s worth every bit of it.
1. It’ll cost you time and energy — but freelancing is the best writing school you’ll ever attend.
You don’t need to quit your day job tomorrow. But you do need to start building momentum — and freelancing is one of the most powerful ways to do that.
When I got started with ghostwriting memoirs and doing developmental edits, I wasn’t just earning a living. I was deep in the trenches of story structure. I was practicing character arcs, emotional pacing, scene construction — all while getting paid. Freelancing didn’t distract from my writing goals. It accelerated them.
Client work teaches you discipline. It forces you to finish. It sharpens your instincts and helps you find out-of-the-box inspiration with every client. And as you grow, you can raise your rates, specialize in the kinds of stories you love, and work fewer hours while making more money — giving you time to travel, read, and invest in your own projects.
Is it easy? No. It takes time, energy, and effort to learn how to serve clients well. But in exchange, you gain freedom, job security (five clients won’t ghost you all at once, but you can bet your “safe” corporate job could lay you off at any moment), and a writing practice that’s deeply grounded in the real world.
It’s like putting yourself through a custom grad school — one that pays you.
🧠 Want help building your own portfolio and getting started? You can watch the replay of my 60-minute ClassStack session on how to build a writing portfolio that gets you hired by high-paying clients right here.
2. It’ll cost you your invisibility.
Your dream writing life won’t start with perfect timing, perfect craft, or perfect confidence. It starts when you hit publish.
That novel you’re editing for the fifteenth time? That essay you’ve been tinkering with for a year? It’s not helping your career unless it’s out in the world.
I know putting your work out there is scary — even after years of doing it, I still sometimes hesitate before hitting “send.” But finished work compounds. Unfinished work doesn’t.
Build your body of work. Use Substack. Self-publish that book. Pitch your personal essay to one of the many publications listed on my writing job board. Show up, again and again, even if no one’s clapping yet.
Because the dream isn’t just to write — it’s to be read. And readers can’t find you if you’re hiding your next great American novel in a desk drawer.
3. It’ll cost you your cowardice.
This part’s not as sexy. But it’s the truth.
You’ll have to give up the excuses. The late nights spent doomscrolling instead of drafting. The self-doubt that masquerades as perfectionism. The “someday I’ll start” that’s already stolen enough time.
You might have to trade Netflix for early mornings. Trade passive consumption for creative output. Trade your comfort zone for the unknown — where failure, feedback, and growth live side by side.
You might even get a bad review. (I have.) You might release something that flops. (Been there.) But on the other side of those risks? Courage. Confidence. Momentum.
Your dream life costs your old one. That’s the exchange.
But here’s what you get: mornings where you write with a sense of purpose. Afternoons where you send invoices to clients who value your brain (and prove it to you with four-, five-, and six-figure checks.) Evenings where you curl up with a book — not because you’re escaping from reality, but because you’ve created a reality you love inhabiting.
A writing life of your own design.
It’s possible. It’s waiting. It’s yours — if you’re willing to pay the price.
💬 Tell me in the comments: what’s one thing you’ve let go of to build your writing life? What did it cost you — and what did you gain?
🎓 See You in Class: What’s New on ClassStack
My live class series on everything you need to know to make writing your job.
💻 On the Blog: What’s New on AmySuto.com
Why I Quit Being a Digital Nomad. I traveled the world as a digital nomad for 5 years — and this year I decided to “settle down.” What that means and why I ended my travel-first lifestyle in this article.
How to Hire a Book Editor. Wondering when to hire a book editor? Learn the difference between developmental, line, and proofreading services — and how to choose the right editor for your novel, memoir, or nonfiction book.
💫 Amy’s Favorites: Merino Wool Socks
My partner Kyle got me these really cozy merino wool socks from Amazon. If you have cold feet like I normally do, these are amazing and only $15 for a pack of three. They’ve been great because it’s my first summer in San Francisco, and I have to say it’s a lot chillier here than I expected (60 degrees in June as the high? Insanity.) But with warm feet I can brave anything :)
I also love Mate the Label’s organic cotton socks, which are great for summertime wear. (If you’re in *real* summer weather, unlike me!)
Enjoyed today’s post? Please give it a “heart” ❤️ and share or restack it.
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
One thing I’ve let go of in order to dedicate myself to writing? More than one, actually. I sold my house, sold my car, left my country, disengaged from a long relationship and closed down my successful consulting business — all so I could live without ready income and distractions and focus on writing. I did, however, keep my dog 🐾🥰
I gave up job security. I chose an industry that's volatile but it's been rewarding. I know I'm in the right field. What I'm tasked with now is learning how to make it sustainable for me whether I'm working for a publication on contract or I have clients. Getting laid off taught me that I need to always have a bounce back plan and a safety net that I've constructed myself because if the floor gives out, there needs to be something there to catch me. Not just savings but a direction and next steps.