For this episode we were joined in class and online by Lauren D. Woods, a writer whose collection The Great Grown-up Game of Make Believe is tearing up the awards circuit. We were very fortunate to have her. Lauren talks to us about evolving definitions of success, writing groups and community, her own writing habits and rituals, and how to talk about the hard things through fiction. Please enjoy this episode with Lauren D. Woods.

• (00:00:04) - The Right Mind
• (00:02:07) - What Draws You to Writing?
• (00:05:00) - The Need for Literary Community
• (00:06:37) - How to Get Out of Trap of Success
• (00:08:56) - Rituals for Writing
• (00:13:22) - How to Write a Short Story
• (00:15:41) - How To Write and Get Published
• (00:18:43) - The Search for the Home for ""
• (00:21:48) - How To Write a Collection of Stories
• (00:24:55) - Best and Worst Writing Advice
• (00:27:00) - What Do You Wish You Knew Before Starting Your Career?
• (00:28:25) - What should early-career and early-education writers know
• (00:29:19) - Questions for the Q&A
• (00:29:30) - Writing on a Full Time Job
• (00:31:42) - WSJD Live: Indie and Traditional Publishing
• (00:33:29) - How To Get Out Of Negative Feedback
• (00:35:25) - Literary Fiction
• (00:37:12) - MFA Programs or Just Grad School?
• (00:38:43) - Talking About Writing With a Short Story
• (00:39:43) - Short Story Review: The Slow Burn

We are joined by Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay, two top-tier voices in horror. We discuss the ways horror transforms characters and readers, how horror sits in literary conversations, balancing writing with the obligations of our lives, and early-career writing advice

• (00:00:04) - The Right Mind
• (00:03:30) - Stephen King on His Horror Films
• (00:07:50) - Where Does Identity Come From in Horror?
• (00:08:58) - The Separation Between Horror and Literary Writing
• (00:14:10) - Stephen King on Trying to Explain the Science of Horror
• (00:19:15) - In the Elevation of Literary Fiction
• (00:21:25) - How to Make Time for Writing
• (00:26:42) - Stephen King on Writing While Busy
• (00:28:21) - What's a Writing Ritual?
• (00:31:12) - "Writing To Music"
• (00:31:52) - Stephen King on Starting a Novel
• (00:34:23) - Pushing the Writing Flowchart
• (00:36:54) - How to Get Your Book Published
• (00:41:29) - Stephen King on The Long Halloween
• (00:42:54) - Writing Prompts
• (00:44:02) - Stephen on Drinking Coffee To Have A Vomit
• (00:45:17) - How Do You Turn An Idea Into a Story?
• (00:47:51) - What Are Your Favorite Character Names?
• (00:49:12) - Stephen King on The Buffalo Hunter
• (00:50:04) - How to Write With a Long Attention Span
• (00:51:41) - Nikki and Imogen on Writing
• (00:52:17) - Top 3 Literary Influences of All Time
• (00:54:45) - Paul on Criticism of Horror
• (00:57:58) - Gloomy Sunday in Head Full of Ghosts
• (00:58:56) - Steven Talk: Writing Stupid Stories
• (01:01:17) - Stephen King on His First Book
• (01:04:22) - Cabin at the End of the World or Knock at the Cabin
• (01:05:22) - Stephen and Paul On Imposter Syndrome
• (01:07:54) - Right Mind