Writing Woods with Victoria Griffin

Victoria Griffin
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Books
  • Weekly

Welcome, storytellers. Step into the Writing Woods, away from pressures and distractions. Join professional book editor Victoria Griffin for relaxed chats about writing. Let's improve our craft, foster our passion for writing, and plant the seeds to grow together.

  1. 5d ago

    My accent almost destroyed my writing career

    For years, I was told that to be taken seriously, I had to hide my accent... where I came from. I masked my Appalachian accent and scrubbed my home from my voice. And without realizing it, I scrubbed it from my stories too. 🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: ⁠https://writingwoods.com Unlearning that shame completely transformed my writing. The parts of ourselves we're tempted to edit out are usually the exact things our stories need most. 💌 TRAIL JOURNALA personal note for each Writing Woods video → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe ⏱️ TIME STAMPS00:00 - Why I tried to hide my accent01:05 - Leaving home to find success02:37 - Discovering my Appalachian identity04:12 - Finding community through Appalachian literature06:56 - Writing for Appalachia and beyond09:07 - What Dolly Parton taught me about pride11:28 - The cost of sanitizing yourself13:16 - Write your truth in your voice 🔗 PROFESSIONAL EDITINGWork with me → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing 🎧 PODCASTSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCES 09:16 — Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwdwLBUCA6I

  2. Oct 27

    “Writing by hand makes better stories” is a myth

    Is writing by hand really better for your stories? Research suggests handwriting has some advantages over typing, but when it comes to creative writing, the answer isn't so simple. 🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: ⁠https://writingwoods.com We're discussing what the science actually says about writing by hand versus typing, how each affects the creative process, and what the best choice really is. 🥾 KEEP EXPLORINGThe audiobook debate was never about reading → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNnxQjtZrR0 💌 TRAIL JOURNALA personal note for each Writing Woods video → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe ⏱️ TIME STAMPS00:00 - Handwriting vs. typing02:49 - Fluency matters more than the tool04:34 - When friction helps writers07:05 - The emotional case for handwriting09:08 - How writing by hand changes my workflow12:18 - Choose the tool for the task14:32 - Use what serves your story 🔗 PROFESSIONAL EDITINGWork with me → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing 🎧 PODCASTSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCES 15:34 — The lie we believe about audiobooks: https://youtu.be/PvkDZ4e1ZiM10:12 — You’ll write faster and edit less (full deep outlining method): https://youtu.be/GD9N1RXMZH008:00 — You'll be a successful writer today (and every day): https://youtu.be/44070lAhFiU02:28 — Camp: https://writingwoods.com/camp02:17 — Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com03:30 — Keyboarded and Handwritten Compositions: https://doi.org/10.1348/000709906X11676802:49 — The Roles of Handwriting and Keyboarding in Writing: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ120333001:17 — Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.121994501:30 — Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note-Taking: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581Handwriting Versus Keyboarding for the Quality of Narratives: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-021-10169-ySpeech-to-Text as a Composition Tool: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2023.102775Writing with Speech Recognition: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intcom.2005.01.00507:27 — The benefits of writing by hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1t90ucM-54The Neuroscience Behind Writing: https://doi.org/10.3390/life15030345📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVEpYZ2pjZ8

  3. Oct 14

    Why serious writers refuse to follow trends

    🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com Social media is full of advice on which tropes are selling and what genres are dying. But chasing trends is one of the easiest ways for writers to burn out. Let's break down the difference between trend-chasing and market awareness and talk about why writing for the reader’s heart will always beat writing for the market. 🥾 KEEP EXPLORINGThe real reason you're behind → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Uly1AtQms 💌 TRAIL JOURNALA personal note for each Writing Woods video → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe ⏱️ TIME STAMPS00:00 - Following writing trends00:25 - The publishing timeline trap02:46 - How trend-chasing causes burnout04:39 - Market awareness06:36 - Write for lasting relevance07:06 - Build a steady writing practice07:57 - Step off the trend carousel 🔗 PROFESSIONAL EDITINGWork with me → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing 🎧 PODCASTSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCES02:34 — Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com03:45 — Harlan Coben on the Anatomy of Success: https://youtu.be/HFOqkhUIIMc?si=_NaA_nu6TmtojOGv 📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1w5Mf6_5rg

  4. Oct 7

    Do audiobooks make your brain lazy?

    🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com Whenever someone argues that audiobooks "don't count" as real reading, it almost always comes down to effort. Print requires more cognitive effort and must be better for you... right? I assumed that because audiobooks feel easier, they must be doing less for our brains. But when I looked into the research, that’s not what the science shows at all. Let's head into the woods to talk about cognitive load, how our brains judge mental effort, and whether reading that feels harder is actually better. I've got a bunch of research for this one, y'all, and it's all linked below. 🥾 KEEP EXPLORINGWhy focusing on writing feels so exhausting (and how to fix it) → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TepN16nNZyI 💌 TRAIL JOURNALA personal note for each Writing Woods video → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe ⏱️ TIME STAMPS00:00 - Why audiobooks feel easier01:00 - Does effort help us learn?03:18 - When difficulty becomes cognitive load05:11 - Why we value effort07:05 - Can doing hard things change us?08:51 - How effort adds meaning11:53 - Reading and long-term brain health14:26 - Is print actually more effortful?17:54 - Print and audio demand different kinds of effort19:22 - Harder does not automatically mean better 🔗 PROFESSIONAL EDITINGWork with me → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing 🎧 PODCASTSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCES06:48 — Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com00:13 — The audiobook debate was never about reading: https://youtu.be/RNnxQjtZrR001:48 — Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab: https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research/02:33 — Benefits of Accumulating Versus Diminishing Cues in Recall: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2011.01.00603:18 — Cognitive load theory: https://doi.org/10.1016/0959-4752(94)90003-505:11 — The Effort Paradox: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2018.01.00707:21 — Learned industriousness: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.99.2.24807:57 — Training Willpower: Reducing Costs and Valuing Effort: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.699817Cognitive Load and Listening Effort: https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.000000000000030415:46 — A Potential Bias in Subjective Ratings of Mental Effort: https://doi.org/10.1044/2018JSLHR-H-17-045116:25 — Comparing Verbal Working Memory Load: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2020.11310217:47 — Instructional Benefits of Spoken Words: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2011.12.00211:59 — Reading activity prevents long-term decline in cognitive function: https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161022000081212:11 — Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161021600113712:41 — Modifiable lifestyle factors and cognitive reserve: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.101551Protocol: Recreational book reading for promoting cognitive functioning: https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1117Hearing intervention to reduce cognitive decline: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01406-X10:16 — An Experimental Longitudinal Intervention to Boost Well-Being 📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvkDZ4e1ZiM

  5. Sep 30

    Writer, you're not behind

    🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com Feeling behind doesn’t mean you’re failing. It may mean you’re using the wrong measuring stick. Let's explore why creative progress is often messy, nonlinear, and invisible...and what we can focus on instead. 🥾 KEEP EXPLORINGThe key to wanting to write → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaa2cpYOrJc ⏱️ TIME STAMPS00:00 - Why we feel behind01:00 - Our model of success02:02 - Why writers compare themselves04:06 - Kind and wicked learning environments06:19 - Why starting "late" is good09:20 - A better way to measure progress11:56 - Becoming a better writer 🔗 LINKSProfessional Editing → https://victoriagriffin.com/editingTrail Journal → https://writingwoods.com/subscribeSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCES03:48 — Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com02:23 — A Theory of Social Comparison Processes: https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~schaller/528Readings/Festinger1954.pdfHow Falling Behind Can Get You Ahead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ2_BwqcFsc04:20 — Kind and Wicked Learning Environments: http://www.jstor.org/stable/44318900The Neuroscience of Social Comparison: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-023-01107-2 📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Uly1AtQms

  6. Sep 23

    The way we're taught to read shapes how we write

    🌳 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 Instagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthor Facebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBE This episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmlujBjC2kU

  7. Sep 16

    The audiobook debate was never about reading

    🌳 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 STAMPS00:00 - The audiobook debate01:18 - What do we mean by reading?02:37 - The wrong metric03:58 - The real differences in audiobooks07:35 - Why stories matter11:05 - How audio changes interpretation14:38 - The audiobook narrator16:58 - What audiobooks mean for writers19:30 - Do audiobooks count as reading? 🔗 LINKSProfessional Editing → https://victoriagriffin.com/editingTrail Journal → https://writingwoods.com/subscribeSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCESfMRI Investigation of Sentence Comprehension by Eye and by Ear: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.1036The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.5.701The Role of Emotional Transportation: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055341Cognitive Effects and Correlates of Reading Fiction: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001583A Meta-Analysis of Reading and Listening Comprehension: https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211060871The 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/ 📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNnxQjtZrR0

  8. Sep 9

    The outlining method that is converting pantsers

    🌳 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 STAMPS00:00 - Why pantsers hate outlining01:59 - Why traditional outlines feel restrictive02:49 - Deep outlining and discovery03:47 - How to deep outline04:39 - Discovering the story06:26 - Deep outlines create freedom08:11 - Drafting becomes immersive10:09 - The outline is not a contract11:01 - Pantsing and plotting are not opposites 🔗 LINKSProfessional Editing → https://victoriagriffin.com/editingTrail Journal → https://writingwoods.com/subscribeSpotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCESDeep Outlining - https://youtu.be/GD9N1RXMZH0 📌 FOLLOWInstagram → https://instagram.com/vgriffinauthorFacebook → https://facebook.com/vgriffinauthor ▶️ YOUTUBEThis episode on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Nmix_VewQ

See All (53)

About

Welcome, storytellers. Step into the Writing Woods, away from pressures and distractions. Join professional book editor Victoria Griffin for relaxed chats about writing. Let's improve our craft, foster our passion for writing, and plant the seeds to grow together.

Information