Have you ever sat down to write… only to find yourself picking up your phone and scrolling social media instead?

In this episode of Write the Darn Book, we’re unpacking why this happens — not from a place of blame or willpower, but from a neuroscience and attention-based perspective.

You’ll learn how social media trains your brain to seek quick dopamine hits, why that makes writing feel harder than it should, and how even a short social media detox can help you reclaim your focus, creativity, and writing momentum.

Because the truth is — this isn’t a discipline problem. It’s a conditioned pattern. And patterns can be changed.

• Why scrolling hijacks your focus when you’re about to write

• What dopamine actually does in the brain — and how social media uses it

• How constant scrolling trains shallow attention (and why writing needs depth)

• The hidden cost of “just a few minutes” on your phone

• How much writing time you could reclaim by stepping away from social media

• A powerful mindset shift to help you move from consumption back into creation

• A bold listener challenge to help you reset your attention and writing habits

I also share my own experience of checking my Screen Time, realising how much time I was losing to scrolling, and the practical changes I made — including deleting social media apps — that gave me back hours of focused creative time.

And because this episode is releasing on Christmas Eve, we also reflect on the value of stillness, presence, and creating space — not just for writing, but for what truly matters.

I challenge you to try a social media detox — even temporarily.

Delete one app. Delete them all. Or take a 24-hour break.

Then notice what shifts.

If you do this, I’d love to hear from you — send me a message or comment and let me know what changed for you.

This episode includes a short guided meditation designed to help you interrupt the urge to scroll, anchor your attention, and re-immerse yourself in your writing — choosing creation over consumption.

The episodes releasing next week are all about helping you start the new year in the strongest possible position.

We’ll be talking about goals — why they haven’t worked before, what’s been missing, and how to use your modalitiesand personality traits to build momentum and finally move forward with your book.

If writing has been on your heart for a long time, you won’t want to miss what’s coming next.

If you’re feeling called to break through your blocks and finally finish your book, I currently have a few spots open for 1:1 coaching.

👉 Learn more at maddisonmichaels.com/coaching

Until next time — Protect your attention. Trust your creativity. And let’s write the darn book, together. ✨

Writing Personality Types: Why Writers Struggle Differently (and How to Work With It)

Have you ever followed writing advice that everyone swears by — only to find it didn’t work for you?

That doesn’t mean you lack discipline, motivation, or talent. It means the advice wasn’t designed for how you’re wired.

In this episode of Write the Darn Book, Maddison explores the four writing personality types and explains why different writers experience writer’s block, procrastination, and self-doubt in very different ways.

You’ll learn how personality influences the way you write, how you respond under pressure, and what actually supports your creative flow — so you can stop forcing yourself into systems that don’t fit, and start writing with more ease and self-trust.

While this episode is shared through a writer’s lens, these insights apply far beyond the page — into your work, your creativity, your relationships, and the way you understand the characters you bring to life on the page.

✍️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why writing advice doesn’t work for everyone
• How personality shapes the way writers experience blocks and resistance
• The four writing personality types (Dove, Owl, Peacock, Eagle)
• How each personality type tends to struggle — and why those struggles make sense
• How to work with your dominant personality instead of fighting it
• A simple, practical way to support your writing this week
• Why understanding yourself leads to more confidence and consistency

🐦 The Four Writing Personality Types (DOPE Framework)

In this episode, Maddison introduces the Bird Personality framework, remembered using the acronym DOPE:

• Dove — the heart-led, connection-driven writer
• Owl — the analytical, detail-focused writer
• Peacock — the expressive, energy-driven writer
• Eagle — the driven, results-focused writer

Each personality brings unique strengths to writing — and unique challenges when under pressure.

Understanding your dominant type helps you respond to resistance with clarity and compassion, rather than self-criticism.

🌿 Episode Integration: How to Use This in Your Writing

Most writers have one dominant writing personality — the one that shows up most consistently across their writing life.

In this episode, Maddison invites you to:

• identify your dominant personality
• support your writing through that lens this week
• stay flexible if a different personality energy feels more present on a given day

This gentle, personality-led approach helps reduce overwhelm, quiet self-doubt, and restore creative trust.

📝 Take the Free Writing Personality Quiz

If you’d like to discover which writing personality you lean toward most, Maddison has created a free Bird Personality Quiz.

👉 Take the quiz here: maddisonmichaels.com/quiz

It’s a powerful starting point for understanding how you’re wired to write — and how to support your creativity with more ease and confidence.

🌱 Coming Up Next

In the next episode, Maddison explores a topic that impacts every writer — social media — and shares a gentle social media detox designed to help you reclaim your attention, energy, and creative flow.

💛 Want Deeper Support?

If this episode resonated and you’re ready for deeper support to break through your blocks and finally write the book you’re meant to write, Maddison currently has a few spots available for 1:1 coaching.

👉 Learn more at: maddisonmichaels.com/coaching

After receiving so many beautiful messages from listeners sharing how much they’ve been loving the guided meditations — and how they’re weaving them into their daily writing routines — I wanted to create this little bonus gift for you.

This short Creative Flow guided meditation is here so you can drop straight into the practice, without having to scroll to the end of Episode 2.

In just seven minutes, you’ll be gently guided out of your busy mind and back into creative safety, flow, and connection with your story — releasing tension, quieting self-doubt, and opening yourself to let the words move through you with more ease.

Whether you use this before a writing session, during a break in your day, or as part of your daily ritual, this meditation is designed to help you return to the page feeling grounded, supported, and creatively aligned.

Settle in somewhere comfortable… take a breath… and let’s drop into creative flow together. ✨

If this meditation resonated with you and you’re ready for more personalised guidance to break through blocks, reconnect with your creativity, and finally finish your book, I currently have a few spots open for 1:1 coaching.

You can learn more and reach out at maddisonmichaels.com/coaching — I’d love to support you.