The Write Practice: The Online Writing Workbook

Lay vs. Lie

by Liz Bureman | 32 Comments

We’re tackling one of the less obvious grammatical foibles today. Did you know that there is a difference between lay and lie? Because there is! Let’s explore.

Other than the definition of “to tell an untruth,” lay and lie are often used interchangeably. But lay is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a subject and one or more objects. Lie, on the other hand, is an intransitive verb, which means that it doesn’t need an object.

So if you wanted to say that you (the subject) lay on the floor (the object) in the fetal position all day yesterday, that’s correct. If you said that you lay in said position all day regularly, that would be wrong.

3 Email Etiquette Rules to Help You Write the Perfect Email

by Monica M. Clark | 15 Comments

We use email every day. For work. For fun. For love letters.
It’s so easy. The standards are so low. Even at work—the standards are lower than other forms of communication.

But you’re a writer. And as a writer, you have the unique ability to make your emails stand out among the masses. You are capable of crafting the perfect email.

The Hidden Value of a Hand Written Letter

by Pamela Fernuik | 46 Comments

In a world where you can send a message in a few minutes with email, twitter, snapchat, or the latest popular way to contact a friend in another city, state, or continent, a letter posted though the mail carries a wonderful appeal.

3 Ways to Find Writing Inspiration in Images

by The Magic Violinist | 19 Comments

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but can you get even more words out of one? What about two-thousand? A whole novel? It’s all up to you. But I do have three tips for you to find writing inspiration, as well as five images you can use to spark your creativity.

World Building Tip: Craft Your Story Setting

by Ruthanne Reid | 33 Comments

Your story’s setting includes everything that affects your characters. It is the environment in which they live, breathe, and find meaning. It is where they fail and learn to succeed. All this to say, your story’s environment matters.

How to Improve Your Descriptive Writing

by Monica M. Clark | 109 Comments

In the New York Review of Books, Zadie Smith describes the Italian painting “Man Carrying Corpse on His Shoulders” in the detailed way that we writers try to describe the images in our heads. When I read it, it led to a kind of an epiphany–like “oh, that’s how you do it.”

How to Use Scrivener to Start and Finish a Rough Draft

by Matt Herron | 8 Comments

You’re ready to start drafting.

At this point, you’ve been introduced to the important pieces of Scrivener’s user interface; you’re familiar with the essential plot and structure principles, including why you should break your story out into component scenes, which Scrivener excels at; you know how to create character and setting sketches using template sheets; and you have a complete account of my storyboarding process for planning stories and getting unstuck while you’re writing.

In other words, you have all the tools you need to start drafting your story.

Announcing the Anniversary Writing Contest

by Joe Bunting | 42 Comments

TODAY our community, Becoming Writer, became a year old. Becoming Writer is a membership community that turns aspiring writers into daily writers, and I’m so excited that we’ve reached our first anniversary.

We wanted to do something awesome to celebrate, and so today, we’re announcing a new writing contest, which we’re hosting jointly with Short Fiction Break. The top story will win a $300 cash prize, and the two runners-up will get $100 each.

This Story Game Will Train Your Imagination (and a prize!)

by Pamela Fernuik | 38 Comments

Once upon a time there was a…? There was a…? What was there? This is not a rhetorical question.

I really, really, really, want you to answer me. Once upon a time there was a…? You can’t think of anything? Okay then, lets play a story game to train our imagination, have fun, and maybe win a prize!

So You’ve Finished a Rough Draft. What Now?

by Emily Wenstrom | 10 Comments

First off, if you’ve recently completed a rough draft (via NaNoWriMo or otherwise), congratulations. Really. A big, whooping, stand-up, slow-clap congrats.

Writing a book’s rough draft is a big feat. But then it’s time to get down to business again, because rough drafts are called “rough” for a reason.

Here to learn? You’re in the WRITE place!