Mary Jessamyn West, American author of short stories and novels, once wrote: Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking.
While there is truth to the statement, being alone can also mean frustration when you're trying to learn how to survive in the writing and publishing industry. With so much information available on the Internet, it's hard to know how to sift through it and find the most valuable advice given, considering how little time most of us have to read it.
That's why we've taken the work out of the search and have compiled a list of the top writing websites of 2019 based on the content they offer and the value of the advice given. Hopefully, this will help you in the struggle to access the resources and community you need, when you need it most.
General writing advice
PsychWriter
Almost anyone can put a story on paper—but only the best writers know how to craft engaging characters who remain in the mind of readers long after the story is finished. And that's the exact skill PsychWriter helps you develop.
Written and maintained by Tamar Sloan, a practicing psychologist and award-winning young adult author, PsychWriter explores how to use the principles of psychology to create deep, well-crafted characters who take on a life of their own. On the site, visitors can download a free e-book, Hook Your Readers, where they can learn how to give readers what they are really looking for, capture readers by sparking curiosity, engage readers with the power of emotion, and craft a compelling character that readers can't help but connect with.
The site also contains informative blog posts written by Sloan surrounding certain topics in character building and psychology, such as this one focusing on Engaging Emotion and this one about Capturing Curiosity: The Power of Conflict.
Writer's Digest
There are few sites as compact with resources and opportunities for writers as Writers Digest. The site's mission encompasses every aspect of a writer's life—from inspiring creativity to community connections to resources needed at every stage of the writing journey.
The site offers everything from creative writing prompts, poetry prompts, and inspirational advice to practical advice, interviews from fellow writers, free workshops, competitions and lists for professional services. With so many free resources, a writer really has no excuse not to sharpen his or her craft and connect with like-minded creatives seeking to get better at what they do.
Well-Storied
While Well-Storied has resources across multiple categories related to writing and publishing, one of its standout sections is The Writing Life, with articles aimed at helping authors work through everything from time management to creative burnout.
Additional categories for writing include Characters, Plotting, Pre-Writing, and Story Elements, among others, to help writers gather the tools needed for the profession. There are also free courses, workbooks, a podcast, and a community page focused on connecting writers to the various social opportunities provided through the website.
Marketing and publishing your work
Create If Writing
Voted one of Houston's Top 25 Social Media Power Influencers, author Kirsten Oliphant's Create if Writing has one of the best taglines I've ever seen on a writing website: Turn readers into raving fans…without being smarmy.
With advice on everything from building an author platform, social media strategy for authors, and how to handle bad reviews—to finding time to write and dealing with a disastrous book launch, Oliphant's blog is full of helpful tips. She also offers a free yearly content planner and strategy guide to help you focus your writing goals and get on track with your time and creative energy. In it, you'll find guidance on everything from social media strategy, to investment plans, to editorial calendars and professional development planning—all at absolutely no cost to you.
The Creative Penn
We've previously written in depth about author Joanna Penn's amazing website, The Creative Penn, which is aimed at helping writers navigate the often-frustrating waters of publishing and marketing their work. However, no list of 2019's best websites for writers is complete without it.
In addition to the extensive free resources available on the website, Penn also publishes a podcast for writers, with new episodes posted every Monday. It offers interviews with new and established authors, inspiration for writers needing an extra helping of it, and a plethora of information relating to the writing, publishing, book marketing, and entrepreneurial life.
Independent Publishing Magazine
Independent Publishing Magazine is another online magazine and website we've reviewed in more detail. It has been named as one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers and Feedspot's Top 100 Self-Publishing Blogs and Websites for Independent Authors. It also features an originally researched and synthesized Publishing Service Index, providing an easy-to-use list for authors looking to self-publish based on services offered and the market share of each independent publishing platform.
Elsewhere on the site, Independent Publishing Magazine offers a trove of resources aimed at self-publishing, traditional publishing, marketing your work, and new authors looking for an open window into the industry.
The Write Practice
Although most of the websites mentioned in this list are completely free resources, The Write Practice is one membership-based site that writers should definitely take advantage of if you have the extra funds for professional development. In fact, this could be the best $15-$25 monthly membership costs you spend if you want to become a better writer.
Included in the premium ($25) monthly membership fee are publishing opportunities (The Write Practice partners with literary magazines to help you get published), deadlines and the accountability you need to turn your passion into finished stories, valuable feedback from a community of writing professionals, networking opportunities, premium coaching opportunities, discounts, and writing contests.
You don't have to pay for the monthly membership to enjoy other opportunities the site offers, such as an informative blog and links to other resources available online. However, to get the most out of the site, a subscription is definitely worth its weight in the informative and collaborative gold you'll receive from it.
Creative games, courses, prompts, and worksheets
Language is a Virus
Writers and writer's block go together like peanut butter and jelly. In fact, if you're a writer who has never experienced writer's block, you should probably publish your secret and become a millionaire on that ability alone. You'll be in envious company if you do.
Enter Language is a Virus, a website full of fun games and text manipulators to reset your mind while working on a project. Instead of going down the inevitable rabbit hole of social media when the words just won't come, try these games instead. You'll find that keeping your focus on words and their arrangement is a great creative exercise in finding your way back to your writing.
For example, one game called Reverse Poem reverses whatever words you type to help you find an entirely new way to look at them. Another called Rewordifier randomly replaces words in your text, pulling words from author-based word lists, genre-based word lists, or the entire English dictionary.
E.A. Deverell's Creative Writing Blog
Some websites created by and for writers are so full of ads and random syndicated feeds that it's impossible to sift through the madness and get to the good stuff. This is not the case with E.A. Deverell's Creative Writing Blog. In fact, I dare you to find something—anything—on the website that isn't of use to your work as a writer and creative. Even the (very few) ads are targeted perfectly and are currently limited to offering links to Neil Gaiman's writing course.
Want 100 days of flash fiction prompts? How about a free, downloadable worksheet for people watching or a past/present/future/ideal mandala? Whether you inspiration in the form of creative writing or poetry prompts, downloadable worksheets, or a free novel outline, author Eva Deverell has you covered.
Write or Die
Mandy Wallace's Write or Die blog starts by offering a free course containing publication strategy, writing prompts, submission tips, and cover-letter how-to information. However, the most fascinating part of the website is a deep dive into MBTI—or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator—for one's character building. In it, you'll find character cheatsheets for each of the personality types (ISTP, ESFJ, INFJ, etc.), as well as how to use these personality types to create realistic, living, breathing characters that your readers will readily identify with.
She also offers multiple free tools for writers, including downloadable PDFs for everything from character design to scene planning to writing critique templates and checklists. The site is full of so many valuable resources that writers are truly missing out if they don't add it to their bookmarked websites.