#214. Subverting the Mainstream Lens: Writing Stories That Stay True to Your People (With Tiffany Grimes)

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

Savannah Gilbo

Writing, How To, Bestseller, Writing Tips, Writing Fiction, Writer, Writing Community, Novel, How To Write Fiction, Fiction, How To Write A Book, Author, Arts, Education, Books

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn how to write authentic, diverse characters without over-explaining or fearing criticism. Writing diverse characters can feel intimidating. You want to include different voices in your story, but worry about misrepresenting them. This leads many writers to either avoid diversity altogether or fall into the trap of over-explaining everything for a mainstream gaze, thereby diluting the power of their story. In this episode, I sit down with Tiffany Grimes, founder of Burgeon Design and Edit...

Transcript

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0:00.0	So I want you to think about what you're writing about versus who you're writing to.
0:04.0	There is a powerful difference between writing about a community for outsiders and writing to your community from the inside.
0:10.6	The first one is going to center the explanation and the second one is going to center the truth.
0:15.6	And I want you to really know that this is a big spectrum. It's not a binary.
0:19.8	And you as the writer get to choose
0:21.4	what's intimate, what's public, what's layered and coded. Not everything needs to be legible
0:26.3	to everyone. And everything about this is your artistic choice. Welcome to the Fiction Writing
0:34.8	Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo, and I'm here to help you write a story that works.
0:40.4	I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming. So each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away.
0:52.2	So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a
0:54.1	seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's
0:59.3	get started. In today's episode, we're diving into a topic that's as important as it is nuanced,
1:06.8	and that is how to write stories that resonate deeply with your community without diluting their
1:12.1	truth to fit a mainstream lens. If you've ever worried about misrepresentation, over-explaining,
1:18.3	or writing for the wrong audience, then this episode is for you. Today I'm joined by Tiffany Grimes,
1:24.1	a book coach, editor, writer, and website designer who's passionate about supporting
1:28.6	marginalized writers and helping all authors tell stories that are authentic, intentional, and impactful.
1:34.9	Tiffany has spent years exploring how to navigate bias in her feedback, how to write with care,
1:39.8	and how to center emotional truth in storytelling. And she's here to share her wisdom with us today.
1:45.4	So in this episode, we're going to talk about what it means to subvert the mainstream
1:49.3	gaze and how to write for your community instead of through the lens of what publishing
1:53.2	often assumes is the default.
	...

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