🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com

The way you were taught to read in high school may still be shaping the way you write.

Most high school English classes teach only one perspective on literature. But understanding other critical lenses can give writers more ways to create meaning in their stories.

⏱️ TIME STAMPS
00:00 - High school English still shapes your writing
01:03 - New Criticism
02:26 - Readers need more than one lens
05:13 - Stories need more than literary merit
07:10 - How multiple lenses change your craft
09:31 - Writing with cultural context
10:14 - More ways to create meaning

🔗 LINKS
Professional Editing → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing
Trail Journal → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe
Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

📌 FOLLOW
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Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor

▶️ YOUTUBE
This episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmlujBjC2kU

🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com

Do audiobooks count as reading?

The answer gets more interesting once we stop arguing about the word “reading” and start asking what audiobooks actually preserve, change, and add to the experience of a story.

Let's start asking the right questions about audiobooks and print books and learn how the answers impact our craft as writers.

⏱️ TIME STAMPS
00:00 - The audiobook debate
01:18 - What do we mean by reading?
02:37 - The wrong metric
03:58 - The real differences in audiobooks
07:35 - Why stories matter
11:05 - How audio changes interpretation
14:38 - The audiobook narrator
16:58 - What audiobooks mean for writers
19:30 - Do audiobooks count as reading?

🔗 LINKS
Professional Editing → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing
Trail Journal → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe
Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

• fMRI Investigation of Sentence Comprehension by Eye and by Ear: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.1036
• The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.5.701
• The Role of Emotional Transportation: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055341
• Cognitive Effects and Correlates of Reading Fiction: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001583
• A Meta-Analysis of Reading and Listening Comprehension: https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211060871
• The Representation of Semantic Information Across Human Cerebral Cortex During Listening Versus Reading Is Invariant to Stimulus Modality: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6764208/
• How does fiction reading influence empathy? An experimental investigation on the role of emotional transportation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23383160/

📌 FOLLOW
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Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor

▶️ YOUTUBE
This episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNnxQjtZrR0

🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com

I used to hate outlining because I thought knowing the story in advance took all the fun out of writing. Then I discovered that deep outlining preserves the wonder... while making the drafting process easier and more fun.

Deep outlining might actually be the perfect approach for pantsers, and it can lead to more freedom in the writing process.

⏱️ TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Why pantsers hate outlining
01:59 - Why traditional outlines feel restrictive
02:49 - Deep outlining and discovery
03:47 - How to deep outline
04:39 - Discovering the story
06:26 - Deep outlines create freedom
08:11 - Drafting becomes immersive
10:09 - The outline is not a contract
11:01 - Pantsing and plotting are not opposites

🔗 LINKS
Professional Editing → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing
Trail Journal → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe
Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

• Deep Outlining - https://youtu.be/GD9N1RXMZH0

📌 FOLLOW
Instagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthor
Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor

▶️ YOUTUBE
This episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Nmix_VewQ

Is writing getting harder?

We have more tools, information, and opportunities than ever before. But, for all its benefits, does our modern environment make creativity more difficult?

Let's explore whether or not modern life is crowding out our creativity. We'll discuss what we can do as writers to deliberately create space for what matters most.

🏕️ Join Camp: ⁠https://writingwoods.com/camp⁠

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Why writing feels harder

01:49 - Modern life crowds out creativity

02:46 - Why mind wandering matters

04:40 - The brain’s creative default mode

07:00 - The missing incubation stage

08:23 - The constant stimulation problem

09:48 - Input versus creative processing

12:37 - Why connection isn’t always conversation

14:31 - Constructive controversy fuels creativity

18:48 - The modern writer’s divided attention

20:15 - How attention residue affects writing

21:43 - Protect what actually moves the needle

24:36 - Creating the conditions for writing

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22941876/
• People Are Increasingly Bored in Our Digital Age: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00155-9
• Default Mode Network Electrophysiological Dynamics and Causal Role in Creative Thinking: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11449134/
• Mind Wandering During Creative Incubation Predicts Increases in Creative Performance in a Writing Task: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12241419/
• Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
• Conversations and idea generation: Evidence from a field experiment: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733319301313
• Energizing Learning: The Instructional Power of Conflict: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0013189X08330540
• Constructive Controversy and Creative Process Engagement: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jasp.12494
• The Challenge of Attention Residue When Switching Between Work Tasks: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597809000399
• Eisenhower Matrix: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/
• Beyond Dopamine Reward Circuitry: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21402948/
• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke, MD

🎧 WRITING WOODS PODCAST

YouTube → https://writingwoods.com/youtube

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Apple → https://writingwoods.com/apple

📚 BOOK EDITING

Thoughtful, passionate editing → https://victoriagriffin.com

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🏕️ Become a Founding Camper by Monday: writingwoods.com/camp

See you in the Writing Woods!
- Victoria

⏱️ TIME STAMPS

00:00 - What writers actually need

01:18 - Knowledge vs. environment problems

03:05 - Building a better writing environment

04:27 - Finding writing community

05:55 - Keeping your writing visible

07:49 - What helps you show up?

09:09 - Welcome, Founding Campers

⸻

#WritingCommunity #WritersLife #WritingWoods

The longer you're away from your story, the harder it can feel to come back. Your story has gone cold, and forcing yourself through another writing session can actually make it harder to reconnect.

Today I'm sharing recent struggles I've had with my writing process. We'll talk about why losing contact with your story makes writing progressively harder. And then we'll work on building a sustainable writing practice by focusing on connection instead of word count.

🏕️ Become a Founding Camper: ⁠https://writingwoods.com/camp-waitlist

⏱️ TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Why writing has felt harder

01:21 - How I lost contact with my story

03:30 - Why keeping a story warm matters

04:20 - Why re-entering a story is so hard

04:47 - The downward spiral

06:15 - How the spiral works in reverse

06:44 - Address what pulled you away

07:07 - Change the writing goal

08:35 - Reconnect with your story

10:55 - Take the pressure off

12:22 - Keep your story warm

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Deep outlining - https://youtu.be/GD9N1RXMZH0

🎧 WRITING WOODS PODCAST

YouTube → https://writingwoods.com/youtube

Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

Apple → https://writingwoods.com/apple

📚 BOOK EDITING

Thoughtful, passionate editing → https://victoriagriffin.com

📌 FOLLOW ME

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Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor

Curiosity can make writing feel easier, more energizing, and more enjoyable. But we can’t just force ourselves to feel curious. In this episode, we explore how curiosity works, what shuts it down, and how one intentional choice can create the conditions for curiosity to thrive.

We’ll look at the relationship between curiosity and uncertainty. And we'll talk about practical ways to stop pushing yourself toward the work and start creating opportunities for the work to pull you in.

🌳 Join our free Writing Woods community: ⁠https://writingwoods.com

⏱️ TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Curiosity vs. discipline for writers

01:22 - Why curiosity matters

02:49 - What blocks curiosity

05:40 - Exploration vs. exploitation

06:39 - How exploration creates curiosity

08:31 - How to generate curiosity

12:33 - Curiosity vs. efficiency

14:31 - Creating a sustainable writing practice

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• How Curiosity Enhances Memory by Matthias J Gruber and Charan Ranganath - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6891259/

🎧 WRITING WOODS PODCAST

YouTube → https://writingwoods.com/youtube

Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

Apple → https://writingwoods.com/apple

📚 BOOK EDITING

Thoughtful, passionate editing → https://victoriagriffin.com

📌 FOLLOW ME

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A plot is more than just a series of events. If readers "just can't connect," you're probably missing one specific link between your plot and characters.

Today, we'll explore a character-first storytelling framework inspired by Will Storr's concept of the sacred flaw. You'll learn how to build a plot that applies pressure to your protagonist's deepest belief system, creating stories that readers connect with on a much deeper level.

🌳 Join our free Writing Woods community: ⁠https://writingwoods.com

⏱️ TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Let's build a plot

01:02 - Welcome to the Writing Woods

01:30 - Recap: The sacred flaw

02:26 - Character-first storytelling

02:56 - The real job of plot

03:51 - 1. Expose the belief

06:16 - 2. Challenge the belief

07:45 - Contradicting a sacred flaw

09:39 - 3. Escalate the pressure

11:04 - The three jobs of plot

12:57 - Choices and turning points

14:22 - The emotional climax

17:12 - Why this makes stories feel deep

18:37 - Final thoughts

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
• Sacred Flaw Part 1 - https://youtu.be/HsbOESOTG54

🎧 WRITING WOODS PODCAST

YouTube → https://writingwoods.com/youtube

Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

Apple → https://writingwoods.com/apple

📚 BOOK EDITING

Thoughtful, passionate editing → https://victoriagriffin.com

📌 FOLLOW ME

Instagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthor

Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor

Most writing advice tells us to create an interesting character… and then make life difficult for them.

We're basically launching grenades at our characters, when we should be nocking arrows.

🌳 Join our free Writing Woods community: ⁠https://writingwoods.com

If readers keep saying they "just couldn't connect" or "didn't feel satisfied," the problem may not be your dialogue, backstory, or character development. It may be that your plot isn't aiming at the one thing that creates real emotional investment.

This is the first episode in a series on building character-driven stories. Next week, we'll look at how to design a plot that puts pressure on one exact point in your protagonist and creates lasting emotional impact.

⏱️ TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Why readers don't connect

00:43 - The grenade problem

02:10 - Every story needs a bullseye

02:39 - The sacred flaw

03:56 - Identity keeps us stuck

05:16 - The flaw they're hiding

08:04 - The emotional core of every story

09:31 - Finding sacred flaws everywhere

10:25 - Part 2: Designing the plot

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr

🎧 WRITING WOODS PODCAST

YouTube → https://writingwoods.com/youtube

Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify

Apple → https://writingwoods.com/apple

📚 BOOK EDITING

Thoughtful, passionate editing → https://victoriagriffin.com

📌 FOLLOW ME

Instagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthor

Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor

Most writers think they need more discipline. But that's often not what's keeping them from writing consistently.

Inspiration isn't something you can chase, force, or hunt down. We all know not to wait for inspiration to strike. But the most consistent writers are actually doing something completely different.

They're cultivating the conditions where inspiration is most likely to appear. Those conditions have nothing to do with the state of your desk, porch, or pillow fort. They're inside you.

Let's talk about the conditions that support inspiration and great writing… and the one habit that can help you become a more consistent writer.

🌳 Join our free Writing Woods community: ⁠https://writingwoods.com

⏱️ TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Consistent writers

01:27 - Welcome to the Writing Woods

01:54 - Storm chasers and inspiration

04:45 - Curiosity

06:39 - Safety

08:58 - Playfulness

09:55 - Wonder

11:46 - Presence

14:05 - The habit that changes everything

14:34 - Stop buckling down

17:55 - The real goal for writers

🎧 WRITING WOODS PODCAST

YouTube: https://writingwoods.com/youtube

Spotify: https://writingwoods.com/spotify

Apple: https://writingwoods.com/apple

📚 BOOK EDITING

Thoughtful, passionate editing: https://victoriagriffin.com

📌 FOLLOW ME

Instagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthor

Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor