The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis Podcast

PODCAST SHOW NOTESEpisode Title:They Made Me Part of History: A Final Deleted Scene from the Cutting Room FloorEpisode Description:Some stories are too good to lose—even when they have to go. In this special episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares the final deleted scene from her award-winning memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars. It's a piece she fought to keep, shaped with care, and ultimately had to release. What remains is a story that illuminates not just a family, but an era—and the quiet, ordinary moments that place us inside the extraordinary.What Laura Covers in This Episode:The painful editorial decisions behind cutting 30,000 words from a completed memoir draftWhy even a perfectly written scene must go if it doesn't serve the core throughlineThe relationship between ruthless cutting and creating a "page-turner with real momentum"A vivid personal narrative set against two watershed moments in American historyHow childhood memory, sensory detail, and family values intersect in memoirThe role of parents in shaping a child's moral imagination and sense of witnessEpisode Highlights:The Story Behind the Story — Laura sets the scene for this deleted piece, explaining why she wrote it, what it was meant to do, and why, in the end, it had to go.A Classroom Moment That Stops Time — Something happens in an ordinary second-grade classroom that no child expects—and the world is suddenly, irreversibly different.A Mother on the Couch — Laura describes coming home to find her mother doing something she never did, and what they watched together that afternoon that neither of them would ever forget.A Family Decision Made Over Dinner — Around a table with a favorite childhood meal, Laura's parents make an announcement that will take the whole family somewhere none of them have ever been.A Sea of People — Three months before the classroom scene, Laura's family was already somewhere remarkable—part of something hundreds of thousands of people had traveled to join.Feet in the Water, a Voice in the Air — An eight-year-old girl, tired and hot at the end of a long summer day, hears words that will echo for the rest of her life.The Craft Lesson Underneath — Laura reflects on what this scene taught her about memoir structure, throughline, and the courage required to cut what you love most.An Invitation to the Memoir It Came From — Laura shares reader praise for The Burning Light of Two Stars and invites listeners into the larger story this scene was written to serve.About Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find and tell their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and the groundbreaking co-authored work The Courage to Heal.Laura leads weekly writing classes on Zoom, hosts writing retreats including Flourishing as We Age and the Creative Camino pilgrimage. She reaches writers around the world through The Writer's Journey podcast and her Midweek Pause for Peace series. Her teaching is known for being both rigorous and deeply humane—challenging writers to go further than they thought possible while honoring the courage it takes to tell the truth.Key Takeaways from This Episode:Your throughline is everything. Every scene in a memoir—no matter how beautifully written—must serve the central spine of the story. If it doesn't, it has to go, regardless of how much you love it.Cutting is a creative act. Removing 30,000 words from a finished draft isn't failure—it's the work. Momentum is built not just by what you include, but by what you're willing to release.Sensory specificity is the engine of memory. The details that seem too small to matter—the wool skirt, the crystal doorknob, the taste of an Oreo—are often what make a scene unforgettable.Childhood scenes can carry enormous moral weight. The values a child absorbs, and the moments a family chooses to witness together, become part of that child's lifelong understanding of what matters.Even deleted work has value. A scene cut from a memoir isn't wasted—it deepens the writer's understanding of the story, and it may find its audience in an entirely different form.Episode Call-to-Action:For Writers: Take a close look at your own manuscript. Is there a scene you love—one you've been holding onto—that may not be serving your throughline? Laura's experience cutting this piece is an invitation to ask the hard question: What does my story actually need?For Readers: If this deleted scene moved you, imagine what didn't get cut. Pick up a copy of The Burning Light of Two Stars and discover the memoir this scene was written to support.If you haven't yet read The Burning Light of Two Stars — the memoir these deleted scenes were written for — now is the time. Readers describe it as impossible to put down, a book that sends them straight into thinking about their own mothers, their own estrangements, their own unfinished reckonings. You can purchase the print edition and audiobook here: 👉 lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-starsSubscribe: Don't miss future deleted scenes, craft essays, and writing insights. Subscribe to Laura's Substack at laurasaridavis.substack.com to receive every new post directly in your inbox.Deleted Scenes in This Series:The Summer I Dropped Acid with My Father: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/5d90f2b6-2d68-4d9f-a120-cad131f6e3f2I Could Still Let Her Comfort Me Then: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/d72ed72f-70c3-4489-8def-1cf5ad6d5a86They Made Me Part of History: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/de5c307d-9165-43e9-a7d2-50b7cf957362Connect with Laura Davis:🌐 Website: lauradavis.net✉️ Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com🎙️ Podcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis📚 Writing Classes & Retreats: Available online and internationally — visit her website to learn moreThe Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

EPISODE TITLE: What Every Author Craves — And How AI Is Exploiting ItEPISODE DESCRIPTION: Every author has a secret hunger. And somewhere, an algorithm has learned exactly how to feed it. In this solo episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis pulls back the curtain on a sophisticated new scam flooding writers' inboxes — one that bypasses the usual red flags by doing something far more insidious: telling you exactly what you've always longed to hear. Laura shares the full paper trail of a real exchange that nearly fooled her, unpacks why even experienced authors are vulnerable, and offers tools and resources to help writers protect themselves without closing their hearts entirely.WHAT LAURA COVERS IN THIS EPISODE:Why authors are uniquely vulnerable to AI-generated flattery — and what that reveals about the writing lifeThe anatomy of a sophisticated AI praise scam: what makes these emails so disarmingly convincingHow Laura's own hunger for recognition — shaped by decades of publishing history — set her up to be fooledThe complete email exchange that almost got her, including her own annotated commentary in real timeHow the scam pivoted when she pushed back — and what that second response revealedRed flags to watch for when glowing outreach lands in your inboxResources from fellow writers and publishing insiders who are tracking this phenomenonHow to fight back — and why Laura thinks you shouldEPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:The Inbox Flood — Laura describes the wave of AI-generated praise letters that have become a regular feature of her writing life, and what distinguishes them from genuine reader mail.A Career-Long Vulnerability — To understand why this scam works, Laura goes back decades — to a million-copy bestseller, bags of fan mail, and the particular hunger that kind of early success can create.The Email That Snagged Her — Arriving while Laura was in Egypt for her daughter's wedding, one message stood apart from the rest. She flagged it to answer personally. That decision set everything in motion.Reading It Live — Laura shares the full email — purportedly from a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist — along with her own annotated reactions as she read it for the first time. The commentary is both hilarious and uncomfortably honest.Laura Writes Back — After returning home from more than a day of travel, one of the first things Laura did was compose a careful, open reply. She's not entirely proud of that fact. She shares it anyway.The Second Letter — The response that arrived a day and a half later is what finally confirmed everything. Laura describes the feeling of reading it — and why "slimed" is exactly the right word.Why This Scam Works on Writers — Laura steps back from the personal story to name the deeper dynamic: what it means to create work that yearns to be seen, and how that yearning becomes a target.Resources and a Call to Fight Back — Laura points listeners toward three fellow writers who are tracking and responding to this phenomenon — including one who had a very satisfying time fighting back.ABOUT HOST LAURA DAVIS:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find, shape, and share their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and The Courage to Heal, co-authored with Ellen Bass, which has sold over one million copies and transformed the lives of survivors worldwide.Laura teaches writing in all forms — memoir, personal essay, poetry, and more — through weekly online classes, immersive retreats, and international writing and pilgrimage programs. She is the host of The Writer's Journey podcast and Substack, where she shares craft, reflection, and the deep work of the writing life.RESOURCES LAURA MENTIONS:The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis (BookLife Prize Winner for Best Memoir, 2021) https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/The Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass https://bookshopsantacruz.com/book/9780061284335"Why Authors Are Perfect Victims" by Brooke Warner, founder of She Writes Press: https://open.substack.com/pub/brookewarner/p/why-authors-are-perfect-victims"War and Peace and Book Promotion" by Dan Schorr: https://danschorr.substack.com/p/war-and-peace-and-book-promotionThe Impersonation Trap by Victoria Strauss on Writer Beware: https://writerbeware.blog/2024/03/15/the-impersonation-list/KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:AI scammers have learned to exploit the specific emotional vulnerabilities of authors — including the longing to be seen, understood, and widely read. Awareness of that vulnerability is your first line of defense.The most sophisticated AI praise emails skip the sales pitch entirely. If a message offers only admiration and thoughtful questions with no obvious ask, that's not proof it's real — it may be proof it's very well-designed.When something in your inbox feels almost too perfectly attuned to your deepest hopes, pause before responding. That feeling of being completely understood by a stranger is worth examining carefully.Pushing back and asking direct questions — "Are you actually you?" — is not rude. It is a reasonable response to the times we are living in, and any genuine person will understand.You don't have to go numb to protect yourself. The goal is discernment, not cynicism — learning to recognize manipulation without losing the openness that makes you a writer in the first place.EPISODE CALL-TO-ACTION:If AI flattery has found its way into your inbox, you are not alone — and you are not foolish for being tempted. Laura encourages every writer to read Brooke Warner's post on why authors are perfect targets, follow Dan Schorr's lead and consider fighting back, and share this episode with a fellow writer who needs to hear it.And if you've been waiting for a sign to finally say yes to yourself: one room has just opened at Flourishing as We Age, Laura's upcoming week-long writing retreat on the California coast this June. Visit lauradavis.net to learn more.CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS:Substack & Podcast: laurasaridavis.substack.comWebsite: lauradavis.netWriting Classes, Retreats & International Programs: lauradavis.netThe Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

SHOW NOTES:Episode Title: The Stage I Never Planned to Take: Writing as a Path to Courage and ResistanceEpisode Description: In this timely and deeply personal episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis offers both a writing practice and a story of unexpected courage — one that reminds us we have more bravery inside us than we may realize. Recording on the morning of the third No Kings rally, Laura connects the urgency of this political moment to the power of looking back at our own histories to find the strength we need to act now.What Laura Covers in This Episode:Why the current political climate makes reclaiming our personal courage essentialA powerful writing prompt for excavating your own history of bravery and resistanceHow writing fleshes out memories and gives them visceral, usable powerThe story behind The Courage to Heal — and why Laura chose a different story to write about todayA raw, twenty-minute free write from Laura's own early years as an out lesbianWhat happened at a women's music festival forty-five years ago that Laura has never forgottenWhy revisiting past courage can fuel present action — and how to make that memory available to yourself right nowEpisode Highlights:Laura opens from Lexington, Massachusetts on the morning of the third No Kings rally — and reflects on the historical resonance of that placeShe shares the Margaret Mead quote that has guided her through moments of collective fear and uncertaintyLaura reflects briefly on The Courage to Heal — a landmark book that came at enormous personal cost — before turning to a less obvious storyA twenty-minute free write takes listeners into a vivid scene from Laura's early twenties: a women's music festival in northern California, a drunk woman, and a terrified little boyThe moment Laura steps between the woman and the child — and what she discovers about herself in that instantLaura organizes four other lesbians to take the stage with her, drafts a statement on the spot, and speaks out in an unwelcoming crowdShe closes by inviting readers and listeners to write their own courage stories and share them in the commentsAbout Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find their voices and tell their truest stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021), and co-author of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, one of the most influential books ever written for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.Laura teaches weekly Zoom writing classes, leads national and international writing retreats — including Flourishing as We Age and the Camino de Santiago Creative Pilgrimage— and hosts a podcast: The Writer's Journey. Her Substack newsletter, The Writer's Journey, reaches readers and writers around the world.Resources Laura Mentions:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse — co-authored with Ellen Bass (1988), a landmark book for survivorsThe Burning Light of Two Stars — Laura's BookLife Prize-winning memoirFlourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — Laura's upcoming June retreat at an oceanfront retreat center in Santa Cruz, California https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/A free two-hour introductory workshop based on the concepts explored in the Flourishing as We Age retreat. Free and online: April 18th online. You can register at: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#onlineThe Writer's Journey Substack newsletter: www.laurasaridavis.substack.com Laura Davis official website: www.lauradavis.netKey Takeaways from This Episode:Writing activates courage — Putting a memory of bravery on the page doesn't just record it; it re-embodies it and makes it available as a resource in the present moment.Your courage history is real and retrievable — Most of us have moments of moral or physical bravery we haven't thought about in years. Writing brings them back into focus.Courage doesn't have to be grand — The moment that comes to mind may be quiet, private, or unexpected. All of it counts.Collective action starts with individual memory — Before we can show up fully in the resistance, it helps to remind ourselves that we have shown up before.The prompt works — Whether you write, speak it aloud, share it with a friend, or sit quietly with it, the act of recalling a time you stood up with courage can shift how you move through the world today.Episode Call-to-Action:Laura invites listeners to respond to the courage prompt in this episode — and to share their stories in the comments. She also encourages listeners to join her for a free two-hour writing workshop, Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women. April 18th, 10-12 Pacific time, 1-3 Eastern time. It will be recorded for those who can't attend live. You can register here:https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/#onlineA weeklong version of this workshop will take place in June at a beautiful oceanfront retreat center in Santa Cruz, California. This intimate, transformative week uses story, deep listening, and ritual to help women build resilience, welcome change, and hold grief and gratitude at the same time. Learn more at: https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast Show NotesEpisode Title:When Ambition Loosens Its Grip: On Aging, Endings, and the Change That Finally Found MeEpisode Description:What happens when the drive that has defined your entire creative life begins to shift — not through loss, but through something quieter and more surprising? In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares an essay born from her own writing class, exploring endings, ambition, and the unexpected season of change that has arrived in her 70th year. This is essential listening for any writer — or human — navigating the tension between who they've always been and who they're becoming.What Laura Covers in This Episode:A stunning excerpt from writer Patti Digh that reframes endings as invitations rather than lossesA writing exercise on endings that Laura uses with her students — and writes herselfA candid look at the long list of endings Laura has lived through across her lifetimeThe surprising subject that didn't make her initial list — and why it matters most right nowWhat it means when lifelong ambition begins to transform from the inside outHow Laura's relationship to work, time, and creative output has quietly, profoundly changedThe difference between drive disappearing and drive evolvingWhat it looks like to let go of projects, plans, and "should-dos" — with relief instead of guiltWhy open space has become as essential to Laura as the writing and teaching that has shaped her work life for decadesEpisode Highlights:The Endings Exercise — Laura introduces a powerful classroom prompt inspired by Patti Digh's A Geography of Endings that invites writers to inventory the endings they've lived — and discover what wants to be written.A List That Spans a Lifetime — Laura reads from her own wide-ranging list of endings, moving from profound losses to quiet turning points, modeling the vulnerability she asks of her students.The Ending She Didn't See Coming — The subject Laura chose to write about in depth wasn't on her list at all — and it turns out to be the one that illuminates everything.Still Writing, Still Teaching — But Differently — Laura reflects on what she has and hasn't let go of during a period of deep health challenge, and why her two weekly Substack posts never fell away.The Loosening — Laura pinpoints exactly what has changed: not the love of writing or teaching, but something that was always tangled up with it — and the relief of finally setting it down.The New Architecture of a Day — Laura paints a vivid picture of how her mornings have changed, and why open, unscheduled time has become non-negotiable for her creative life.Crossing Things Off — Not Because They're Done — Laura describes a new and deeply satisfying relationship to her to-do list, and what it means to release a plan with grace instead of guilt.A Sea Change, Arriving on Its Own — Laura reflects on how the transformation she sensed coming for years finally arrived — not through effort, but through surrender.About Host Laura Davis:Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience guiding writers of all levels toward their most meaningful work. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and the Midweek Pause for Peace, teaches weekly writing classes on Zoom, leads international writing retreats, and publishes The Writer's Journey newsletter on Substack. Her Creative Camino pilgrimage brings writers together on the Camino de Santiago for transformative experiences at the intersection of walking, writing, and community.Resources Laura Mentions:"A Geography of Endings" by Patti Digh (December 2025 Substack post) — https://pattidigh.substack.com/p/a-geography-of-endingsThe Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis — award-winning memoir (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) — https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-starsThe Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass — available wherever books are sold: https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Heal-Survivors-Sexual-Abuse/dp/0061284335Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — oceanfront retreat in Santa Cruz, California, June 2026 — https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/A Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—September 2026 https://lauradavis.net/camino/The Writer's Journey — Laura's Substack newsletter: https://laurasaridavis.substack.comLaura Davis's website — writing classes, books, workshops, and retreats: https://lauradavis.netKey Takeaways from This Episode:Endings are not failures — they are, as Patti Digh writes, invitations that reshape us.The most revealing writing prompt is often the one you least expect. The subject that didn't make Laura's initial list turned out to hold the most truth.Drive and ambition can evolve without disappearing.Open, unstructured time is not wasted time. Spaciousness is not the enemy of productivity — it is the necessary condition for the most meaningful work.Letting go of a project or plan with satisfaction — not guilt — is a skill worth cultivating. Not every idea on the list deserves to be manifested, and recognizing that is a sign of creative maturity, not giving up.Episode Call-to-Action:Try the Endings Exercise yourself. Set a timer for ten minutes and make your own list of endings — big and small, expected and surprising. Let yourself be surprised by what appears. Then choose one and write the story of it in depth. Notice what didn't make your first draft of the list. That might be exactly where to begin.Join Laura in Santa Cruz this June for Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women — a week at a beautiful oceanfront retreat center using story, deep listening, and ritual to welcome change, build resilience, and hold grief and gratitude at the same time. Learn more at https://lauradavis.net/flourishing/Connect with Laura Davis:Substack Newsletter: The Writer's Journey — essays, poems, nature photos, and moreWebsite: lauradavis.net — writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreatsPodcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura DavisWeekly Series: Midweek Pause for PeaceEvery time you click the heart, leave a comment, or share a post, you're making it easier for new readers to discover The Writer's Journey.The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe