TheWriteThing.org

Consider it like Wikipedia, but for books only!

This is the set up for The Open Library, a site whose goal is to create a page for every book ever published! It’s quite a task, but with the help of bookworms such as ourselves and with today’s modern technology, it is completely plausible.

To date, The Open Library already hosts over 13 million pages! An example of one of their pages can be seen here: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It’s a fascinating project, and we encourage others to check it out!

Author: Phyllis C.

I was fourteen and painfully shy. I was shy to the extent that, outside of my family and good friends, most people had never heard me speak. In school, I just sat at my desk; never raised my hand in class, and generally kept to myself. For me, group work and oral presentations were more torturous than walking barefoot over hot coals. People had scared me for as long as I could remember, especially my peers. I don’t really know why. I liked people, but I was too afraid to talk to them.
[Read more →]

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS STRONG THEMES OF PEDOPHILIA AND CHILD ABUSE THAT MAY DISTURB SOME READERS.

Author: Elenor L.

I am a man who chooses to live as a recluse. ‘Others’ are some abstract notion far in the distance; sometimes they’re a persistent hum that I can choose not to hear. They rarely divide into individual physical forms. Those that do are like dark waves rising from the immenseness of the sea, to knock you flying. [Read more →]

Author: Elenor L.

Maria had a collection of rich perfumes that towered elegantly out of the cobwebs. Her combs and jewels occupied the graveyard of dead flies upon the windowsill. She would occasionally forget to dress, or wear ripped stockings to bed, using her extravagant furs as bed covers. [Read more →]

You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy and take part in our September focus feature! Next month, we’re excited to be shifting our focus towards Historical Fiction, and as always, your contributions are accepted with open arms!

We will take original pieces of historical fiction (short stories & poetry), book reviews relevant to the topic, and even non-fiction pieces on any historical figure of your liking. It can all be submitted to us through this form!

TheWriteThing.org’s latest focus feature will go live September 15th - so don’t delay!

Author: Slavena P
Written in third person narrative.

“Little star, little star…” sang the mommy to her child once. And now she still hears the soft melodious voice that she had heard every night as a little kid. But now what? She wasn’t the kid she used to be, she no longer lived with her mom, and she hadn’t even heard from her for such a long time. Everything was different since the day she left her home and went into the big city.
[Read more →]

Author: Wei Ming Y

The darkness falls across the land, and I am left all alone on the Heath. I cry out. There is no answer, only the wind whistling in my ear, “You shall not attain salvation.”

I cannot move; my arms and legs are frozen. This is the beginning of the end. I know it. The wind need not tell me that I am far from salvation; she had told me that a long time ago. She never told me her name, nor who she was; all she told me was that she knew who I was and where I was heading.
[Read more →]

If group workshops aren’t exactly your cup of tea, have you ever considered a personalized writing retreat? We’ve spoken with Joan Lee Hunter from Fifth House Lodge to discover exactly what a personalized writing retreat consists of and how it can benefit your writing.

Where did the inspiration for Fifth House Lodge come from? Is there any special meaning behind the name?
    Fifth House Lodge is named for the astrological fifth house — the house of creativity and play — that is very strong in my own astrological chart. I like to think of the fifth house as the psychic
territory we all inhabited as children before “the system” got to us.

Can you give us some general information as to what one can expect when attending a writing retreat?
    An individualized writing retreat at Fifth House Lodge affords you the time and space to focus on your particular needs and goals through interactive work with me and on your own. You have a private room with desk, bathroom and use of the kitchen for preparing your own meals. [Read more →]

TheWriteThing.Org recently spoke with Anne Hillerman, co-founder of Tony Hillerman Writers Conference: Focus on Mystery and Wordharvest Writers Workshops. Anne has taken the time to discuss her experience with conferences and workshops as well as the ways they can be beneficial to writers!

What are some of the upcoming workshops and conferences you will be hosting?
Our next event is the Tony Hillerman Writers Conferece: Focus on Mystery, Nov. 5-9 in Albuquerque at the Hyatt Regency.
What part of a writers conference appeals to you most? Why?
I love those moments when people’s eye light up because of something a presenter says that rings true to them. Or the happy jolt of energy a writer gets when an agent agrees to take a look at a manuscript. It makes me feel like all the work that goes into putting on the conferece is worthwhile. [Read more →]

These days, we’re always being told about new, creative methods we should use to enhance our writing: We should calculate and analyze every detail before we write anything; We must take every single piece of advice from every agent, beta, and overly-opinionated friend who dares read over our work. It’s a daunting, constant pursuit of perfection in which nobody really wins. Even if you recognize your own writing in the end, part of your heart bitterly resents the turnout. Some would say that writing workshops perpetuate this pursuit, but I remember a much smoother, simpler take on writing. [Read more →]