Writers

Grammar Rant: The Misunderstood “Is” – Part 1

You will often hear advice to search for any variation of the verb “to be” in your writing and eliminate it. It often gets labeled “passive” by default.

The truth is more complicated.

The verb “to be” is often used in passive writing, yes, but it’s not the verb itself that makes it passive.

Consider these examples.

  • John is an architect. (not passive)
  • The can is kicked by John. (passive)

The first of those is absolutely NOT passive. John is very actively being an architect.

What makes the second sentence passive is that the OBJECT of the sentence is pretending to be the SUBJECT. Thus it is passive. An active version of this would be: John is kicking the can. Or, depending on exactly what you mean to say: John kicks the can. Those two active versions can have different possible meanings, so choosing the appropriate one is important to express what you mean.

Another example:

  • John and Bobbie are starting a business. (not passive)
  • A business is being started by John and Bobbie. (passive)

The first is not passive. John and Bobbie are in the very active process of starting a business. Actually, the verb in this sentence is “to start” and “were starting” is the tense.

In the second, the OBJECT is pretending to be the SUBJECT. That is passive voice.

More complex examples:

  • The man was killed. (passive; If you can hear “by it” in your head after the verb, then it’s probably passive.)
  • The man died. (not passive)
  • The man was pushed into a giant fan and lost his head. (passive)
  • Someone pushed the man into a giant fan, and he lost his head. (not passive)
  • The man fell into a giant fan and lost his head. (not passive)

In conclusion, the verb “to be” isn’t automatically a sign that you’re using passive tense.

Deeper Dive

When you use the present tense of “to be” plus an —ing verb, you’re using the Present Continuous verb tense. It indicates that the subject is currently in the process of doing something. Not passive.

Examples:

  • I am running for mayor. (not passive)
  • He’s talking on the phone. (not passive)
  • They are having an affair. (not passive)
  • The table is being sanded by him. (passive)
  • She is being ridiculous. (not passive)

Past tense “to be” plus an —ing verb => Past Continuous verb tense. Not passive when the subject and object of the sentence are placed in their proper order.

Examples

  • I was making him mad. (not passive)
  • She was robbing the train. (not passive)
  • Their school was being closed by the principal. (passive)
  • He was being playful. (not passive)
PRO TIP: When you’re writing dialogue, all bets are off. People often speak in passive voice, and you want your dialogue to sound natural.

As with all grammar “rules,” you’re allowed to break them so long as:

  1. You know the rule and are breaking it on purpose.
  2. You have a reason for breaking the rule. (Laziness doesn’t count.)

Writer Tools


The following tools will make staying organized easier and more efficient.

Click the cover to learn more.

Tools for Writers Created by Wily Writers

Writing Sprints Tracker & Journal
by E.S. Magill
Spooky Writer’s Planner
by Loren Rhoads

Zoom Co-Working Events

Wily Writers (M,T,W,Th,F) hosts sessions where we get together on Zoom and tackle our To-Do lists. Come when you can and stay as long as you like. It’s okay to show up late, but please mute yourself if everyone is working.

How It Works

We don’t do timed sprints. We have a two-hour block of time during which we co-write. You can time yourself, if you choose. There are no rules.

We usually chat a bit at the beginning, approximately 15 minutes to catch up and claim our intentions. Then, we dive in. We stop on the hour at the end, and people can hang to chat some more, if they like.

The goal is accountability! I and many others have anecdotal proof that this method works to get people focused and writing. The group dynamic is powerful. Just knowing that you’re not alone and that others are there working alongside you is energizing!

These events will NOT be recorded.

Catch the Wave

Writers have so many hurdles to overcome, so it’s important to know your goals and to work consistently toward them. There will be times when life gets in the way—and that’s okay! That’s normal. There will be other times, however, when pinches of focus and discipline put you in the zone, and you’ll be hanging ten.

That’s why we do these sessions. The support of your fellow Wilies and the accountability that comes with our regular sessions ave helped many of us to finish projects. Wily Writers is the board that will carry you to shore. Hop on!

It’s all about finishing. Publishing.

Your project is finite. You are a finisher!

Grab the perfect tool to track your progress:
Writing Sprints Tracker & Journal
The Serious Writer’s Daily Word Production Log
by Wily E.S. Magill

Easier Social Media Posting – SmarterQueue

I wanted to tell you all about a tool I use for posting to social media. It makes my life so much easier!

SmarterQueue

What is it?
It’s an online application that hooks up to your social media accounts (FB, TW, Insta, LinkedIn, etc.). You post there and it sends the post out to all your accounts.

It’s extremely powerful and flexible.

You can:

  • Create categories to sort your posts.
  • Make posts evergreen or recurring on a schedule you set. (I have many that recur annually.)
  • Schedule posts to go live in the future.
  • Add multiple images to a single post so that when it recurs, it rotates through the images.

That’s just a taste of what it does. This program is extremely useful to me for product posts. I create them once, then it sends them out on my schedule and reminds people that my products exist.

When I launch a new book, for example, I post about it with various images and set it to recur every 3 months. The first one goes out to all my social media sites, and then 3 months later, it goes out again with a different image—automatically.

It’s a huge time-saver!

If anyone is interested, I can do a walkthrough video of it. Just ask.

Check it out here.

Jennifer Brozek

Author Information

Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek is a wordslinger and optimist, an author and an editor, and a collector of antique occult literature. She believes the best thing about being a full-time freelance publishing industry professional is the fact that she gets to choose which 60 hours of the week she works. Visit her at jenniferbrozek.com.

Links for Sharing
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https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.brozek/
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http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/
Jennifer’s Wily Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvuSUbasZfw


E.S. Magill

Author Information

E.S. Magill

E.S. Magill fell in love with writing and horror at a very young age and combined those two passions to become a dark fiction writer. She has had short stories published in various anthologies such as California Screamin’, Blood Lite III, and Halloween Tales. In addition to writing, she has edited two anthologies, Haunted Mansion Project Year One and Deep Cuts (co-edited with Angel Leigh McCoy and Chris Marrs). She served as the Reviews Editor for Dark Wisdom magazine, where she also wrote the column “The Dark Librarian.” She holds a B.A. and M.A. in English, specializing in the postmodern gothic. Recently retired from teaching middle school English, she now spends her days writing, reading, and binge watching all things horror. Her love of the craft prompted her to start a small publishing company creating nonfiction workbooks for writers, www.scribesandscribblerspub.com. She considers herself a life-long Californian but recently moved to Phoenix along with her also-retired husband Greg. Look for her new supernatural series coming Fall 2022. Visit www.esmagill.com to sign up for E.S. Magill’s newsletter “The Dark Write of the Soul.”
https://www.esmagill.com

Works

WRITING SPRINTS TRACKER & JOURNAL
https://www.scribesandscribblerspub.com/

Serious writers need serious writing tools. Writing Sprints Tracker & Journal is the tool you need to keep track of your writing sprint sessions. This is not a how-to book. This is a log to provide you much-needed data about your writing production and writing habit. Who’s got time to waste? Today’s writer needs to be an organized writer in order to be productive and efficient. Printing out a single page writing sprint tracker only to misplace it isn’t very effective. The Writing Sprints Tracker & Journal contains 365 daily sprint session trackers, divided into months and weeks. There are also monthly reflection logs and a year’s review log. Put an end to the messy and disorganized writer stereotype. Scribes & Scribblers Publishing has the tools to help you become an organized and productive writer.

HAUNTED MANSION: YEAR 1

In the fall of 2010, ten horror writers met at a haunted mansion to spend four days together. Joining them were a group of paranormal investigators. This anthology is a collection for nonfiction essays, short stories, poems, and the investigative team’s conclusions. See what the horror writers and the ghost hunters discovered that weekend. Featuring Wily Writers Loren Rhoads, S.G. Browne, Yvonne Navarro, Weston Ochse, and E.S. Magill.

ISBN: 978-1615725793
PUBLISHER: Damnation Books

Weston Ochse

Author Information

Weston Ochse

Weston is the author of more than thirty books and has worked for IDW, DC Comics, Hellboy, Aliens, Predator, X-Files, Joe Ledger, and Clive Barker’s Midian. He is eager to help and is a long time mentor for the Horror Writers Association, a college professor, and a life coach.
http://westonochse.com


Alan Baxter

Author Information

Alan Baxter

Alan Baxter is a British-Australian multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, and dark fantasy. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, where he lives with his wife, son, hound and other creatures. The author of more than twenty books including novels, novellas, and three short story collections (so far) you can find him online at www.alanbaxter.com.au or find him on Twitter @AlanBaxter and Facebook. Feel free to tell him what you think. About anything.
https://twitter.com/AlanBaxter
https://www.facebook.com/alanbaxterauthor
https://www.instagram.com/warrior_scribe/?hl=en
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDknM4g9Kpc5h0mxkhAwSQ/videos
All author photos and cover images here:
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/press-kit/

Works

THE GULP by Alan Baxter

THE GULP – Tales from the Gulp #1
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/the-gulp/
THE GULP by Alan Baxter
Strange things happen in The Gulp. The residents have grown used to it.

The isolated Australian harbour town of Gulpepper is not like other places. Some maps don’t even show it. And only outsiders use the full name. Everyone who lives there calls it The Gulp. The place has a habit of swallowing people.

A truck driver thinks the stories about The Gulp are made up to scare him. Until he gets there.
Teenage siblings try to cover up the death of their mother, but their plans go drastically awry.
A rock band invite four backpackers to a party at their house, where things get dangerously out of hand.
A young man loses a drug shipment and his boss gives him 48 hours to make good on his mistake.
Under the blinking eye of the old lighthouse, a rock fisher makes the strangest catch of his life.

Five novellas. Five descents into darkness. Welcome to The Gulp, where nothing is as it seems.

Print ISBN: 9780980578294
Ebook ISBN: 9781393527176

“This is a cleverly plotted and exceptionally well-executed five-sectioned novel where the finale of the last story brings everything into perspective… you are left without a doubt that you are reading not just an Alan Baxter novel, but an Alan Baxter novel that is firing on all cylinders… a masterclass in plotting and structure… The Gulp delivers on all fronts.” – Jim McLeod at Ginger Nuts of Horror

DEVOURING DARK
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/devouring-dark/

Matt McLeod is a man plagued since childhood by a malevolent darkness that threatens to consume him. Following a lifetime spent wrestling for control over this lethal onslaught, he’s learned to wield his mysterious skill to achieve an odious goal: retribution as a supernatural vigilante. When one such hit goes bad, McLeod finds himself ensnared in a multi-tentacled criminal enterprise caught between a corrupt cop and a brutal mobster. His only promise of salvation may be a bewitching young woman who shares his dark talent but has murderous designs of her own.

ISBN: 9781940658988
Publisher: Grey Matter Press

HIDDEN CITY
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/hidden-city/

When the city is sick, everyone suffers. Steven Hines listened to the city and the city spoke. Cleveport told him she was sick. With his unnatural connection to her, that meant Hines was sick too. But when his friend, Detective Abby Jones, comes to him for help investigating a series of deaths with no discernible cause, Hines can’t say no. Then strange fungal growths begin to appear in the streets, affecting anyone who gets too close, turning them into violent lunatics. As the mayhem escalates and officials start to seal Cleveport off from the rest of the world, Hines knows the trouble has only just begun.

ISBN: 9781940095783
Publisher: Gryphonwood Press

CROW SHINE
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/crow-shine/

Winner of the 2016 Australian Shadows Award for Best Collected Work; Finalist for the 2016 Aurealis Award; Finalist for the 2016 Ditmar Award. “Alan Baxter is an accomplished storyteller who ably evokes magic and menace. Crow Shine has a mean bite.”—Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase. Nineteen horror and dark fantasy stories, three of which are previously unpublished and original to this collection, including the titular Crow Shine.

ISBN: 9781925212419
Publisher: Ticonderoga Publications

SERVED COLD
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/served-cold/

2019 AUSTRALIAN SHADOWS AWARDS WINNER “At turns creepy and visceral, Baxter delivers the horror goods.” – Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World Sixteen provocative and intensely chilling tales by multi-award-winning-author Alan Baxter venture into the depths of the darkest and most shadowy places where unspeakable horrors are the predators and we the willing prey. Prepare for an always terrifying, frequently heartbreaking journey in multiple stages, each piece echoing Baxter’s unique voice that effortlessly blends horror, fantasy and the weird, cementing his place as a modern master of the dark fantastique, and resulting in an unforgettable volume of fiction.

ISBN: 9781950569045
Publisher: Grey Matter Press

MANIFEST RECALL
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/manifest-recall/

“If you like crime/noir horror hybrids do check out Alan Baxter’s MANIFEST RECALL. It’s a fast, gritty, mind-f*ck.” – Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts. Following a psychotic break, Eli Carver finds himself on the run, behind the wheel of a car that’s not his own, in the company of a terrified woman he doesn’t know. As he slowly rebuilds his memories, layers of ugly truth are peeled back and dark secrets are revealed. Before long, the duo find themselves on the wrong side of Eli’s old criminal syndicate, in a struggle for survival against the most dangerous forces in their lives.

ISBN: 9781940658957
Publisher: Grey Matter Press

BOUND: ALEX CAINE BOOK 1
https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/my-books/bound/

Finalist for the 2014 Ditmar Award for Best Novel! Alex Caine, a fighter by trade, is drawn into a world he never knew existed — a world he wishes he’d never found. Alex Caine is a martial artist fighting in illegal cage matches. His powerful secret weapon is an unnatural vision that allows him to see his opponents’ moves before they know their intentions themselves. After a fight one night, an enigmatic Englishman, Patrick Welby, claims to know Alex’s secret. Welby shows Alex how to unleash a breathtaking realm of magic and power, drawing him along a mind-bending course beyond his control. And control is something Alex values above all else.

ISBN: 9781940095745
Publisher: Gryphonwood Press