✍️ Desk of Amy Suto: A Week in the Life of a Writer Working Remotely from London
Dispatches from London: a week in the life of a writer.
In this post you’ll read about…
✍️ A week in the life of a writer working remotely from London
📚 What a week’s worth of book publicity looks like for a self-published author
✨ Some of the things I’m grateful for in the wake of my fiction debut of The Nomad Detective: Volume I
📖 3-Minute Story: A Week in the Life of a Writer Working Remotely from London
One of my favorite types of posts to read here on Substack are “day-in-the-life” or travel diary posts from fellow writers. I’m always curious how other professionals structure their days — especially in the wake of book launches or other big career events.
I’ve been so grateful for the positive reception The Nomad Detective: Volume I has gotten so far — so thank you to those of you who have taken the time to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads for the book.
Here’s what a week looked like working remotely from London — especially as I’m amidst the flurry of book PR and podcast interviews right now!
// Sunday - Rest & Writing Day
11am - Green Juice and Wandering. I’ve just arrived in London a few days ago from Edinburgh, and I’ve just settled into our new flat for the next two weeks here. My partner Kyle and I have already done all of our “new destination chores” as digital nomads. This includes activities such as finding a grocery store and stocking the fridge, doing laundry, and unpacking our suitcases. We sleep in and start our day by wandering through the Spitalfields Market nearby, where we acquire green juices (a key part of our routine.)
12pm - Writing Session. As a digital nomad and full-time writer, my “workweek” looks different each week. Because of that, I use a few afternoon hours on Sunday to get prepped for the week and also fit in a few hours of writing.
6pm - Dinner. My partner Kyle and I go out to an amazing dinner at a tapas place down the street from our London flat, and I remember how much I love watermelon and feta.
8pm - Alien Romulus Screening. We finish dinner early, so we decide to spend the next hour taking a leisurely sunset stroll all the way down to the BFI theater to catch our screening of Alien Romulus in IMAX. It’s a totally fine movie that makes me remember why I love books more than films these days.
// Monday - Writing Work Day & Press Interviews
10am - Deep Work Session. The workweek begins! Kyle and I stop by the market for our morning green juice. Kyle’s got plans elsewhere in the city today, but I’ve got interviews and work to do so it’s back to the flat for me! I relish the time to do some deep work and dive into a Substack Audit I’m doing for a fellow writer’s Substack to help her monetize and earn more from her writing. I switch gears to work on another client’s Substack, and then afterward I cook a small brunch at home before diving back into some ghostwriting for a memoir ghostwriting client of mine.
2:30pm - The Nomad Detective: Volume I Press Interviews. I spend the rest of the day doing interviews for my new book. I have some great conversations with podcast hosts and interviewers that I’m excited to share with you once they come out! One interview I’m particularly excited for you to hear is my conversation with Doreen Cumberford for the Nomadic Diaries podcast. Doreen is an expat living in Mexico who is from Scotland, and she’s got a great podcast series coming out soon on the topic of what it means to return home as a nomad. We discuss my book The Nomad Detective: Volume I as well as what it means to be a digital nomad and what “home” means to us.
5pm - Dinner and Last Emails. I wrap up the interviews shortly after 5pm. I go out and grab some tacos and enjoy the nice weather before returning to finish up some writing and emails and then start to wind down for bed around 9pm as we have an early start for the next morning.
// Tuesday - Day Off to Visit Cambridge
8am - Leave for Cambridge. Kyle’s family is visiting, so we’re up early at 8am to head to the train station so that we can make our way to Cambridge for a day trip. We do a "punting tour” where we’re on a boat and a college student shares the history of all the old colleges as we coast through a little canal that passes underneath stone bridges. After that, we get lunch at a pub and explore the city. We get home around 7pm and I answer some emails before calling it a day. Fun day trips like this are one of the perks of living the nomad life!
// Wednesday - Friend Meetups & Writing Work Day
8am - Deep Work Session #1. I start my day with a green smoothie and then dive into my work for the day. I clear emails, rewrite a personal essay for my editor at a major publication, and share the guest post I’ve written called “3 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Hire Ghostwriters” for my friend
’s amazing Substack — which you should absolutely be subscribed to if you have any interest in writing a book and getting it into the hands of your readers! Renee has sold over 10,000 copies of her self-published book, so she’s truly an expert. I take a break at 12:30pm to eat some lunch at home.1pm - Tea with Friends. In the afternoon, Kyle and I break to get tea with a few friends at a cafe on Brick Lane. As nomads, it’s always nice to catch up with friends in the different cities we’re in.
3pm - Afternoon Snack and Deep Work Session #2. On our way back to our Airbnb, we stop to eat some dumplings at a street food market by the vintage shops on Brick Lane. Then, I’m back at my computer for my second deep work session of the day. I mainly focus on doing some writing for myself and my ghostwriting clients, but also queue up some social posts for my Substack post on How to Make Writing Your Job.
5pm - Immersive Theater Show & Meet Up with a Fellow Nomad. We met up with a fellow nomad to see Viola’s Room — a crazy immersive show here in London put on by Punch Drunk (who also did Sleep No More) where you take off your shoes and wander through a maze while an audio story happens all around you. Words can’t describe how unique this haunting story was, so if you find yourself in London you’ll just have to go yourself. After the show, we grabbed pizza at a local pub before heading home.
// Thursday - Book PR & Writing Work Day
9:30am - Deep Work Session #1. I acquire green juice and hot chocolate and sit down at my desk to jam through emails, complete a Substack Setup for a client’s new publication, and continue to clear things off of my to-do list.
Noon - Lunch at Brick Lane Market. I take a break to get lunch with my partner Kyle at the food market on Brick Lane. We scope out a great Ethiopian food place with lots of good veggies for lunch.
1pm - Deep Work Session #2. I switch gears, working on some ghostwriting work for a book client. I’m really excited for the world to read their book — it’s been coming together so well so far!
3pm-7pm - Podcast Interviews and a Discovery Call. I switch gears for the afternoon, which is filled with more podcast interviews to promote my book. I love chatting about my writing process for this book, and I have some great conversations with podcast hosts. Then, I hop on a discovery call for a potential client who wants help with writing a book.
7pm - Dinner at Spitafields Market. Today is an “eat-food-at-local-markets” day and we stop by Spitafields to get sushi burritos for a quick bite.
8pm - Deep Work Session #3. I have a bit more writing to do, so I head back to wrap up the day with one last deep work session. I don’t usually work this late, but things have been busy lately, so I put in a bit more elbow grease to end the week!
// Friday - Light Work Day
10am - Deep Work Session #1. It’s Friday, so I sleep in a bit before going out to get green smoothies. I finish writing my travel guide for Working Remotely in Edinburgh, UK and post it on my blog. After, I answer emails from potential clients who want help with their books. I wrap up work around 3pm and take the rest of the day off to unwind and read a book.
// Saturday - Book PR Day & Rest Day
10am - Croissants and Hot Chocolate. It’s Saturday, and even though it’s raining here in London we head to a croissant spot a friend of ours recommended that supposedly has the most French croissants in town. They do — I can taste the butter on the flaky pastry, and the hot chocolate I get as well is perfection. When we get home, I spend the afternoon reading and hanging out — it’s been a busy week!
6pm - Podcast Interview, Ghostwriting Work, & Emails. I don’t usually work on Saturdays, but I end up doing a great podcast interview for my book and wrap up some last ghostwriting work for a client. I don’t mind doing some weekend work as I know we’re headed to Madeira this upcoming week, so I want to clear more off my plate so I can really enjoy the island when we arrive! At 9pm I wrap up and call it a week.
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More posts of mine I think you’ll love…
✨ Products I’ve Loved This Week…
Each week, I highlight 2 of my favorite picks in the categories of travel gadgets, clean beauty, fashion, and more.
Here is this week’s list:
My LARQ Self-Cleaning Water Bottle.* This water bottle is not only stylish and lightweight — the self-cleaning UV system is ingenious. My previous water bottles would get yucky fast, but my LARQ stays fresher longer.
LumeCube Mobile Content Creator Set.* Since I’ve been doing tons of podcast interviews (many of which are on-camera) I use this creator kit to help position my lighting. It’s compact and great for travelers and content creators of all kinds!
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
Working Remotely in Edinburgh, UK (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
Working Remotely in Krakow, Poland (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
Working Remotely in Istanbul, Turkey (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
📸 Photo of the Week: London Sunset Strolls
Enjoying summer strolls in London 💛
Follow me on Substack Notes and Instagram for more!
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 started on Wondercraft! (paid/affiliate link)