As the world transitions online, so too does the profession of writing. Writers used to find their work in newspapers, type their works mechanically, and ask friends to critique their writing. Now there are perhaps hundreds of websites for anything a writer might need to further their career. The spirit and the enjoyment of writing live on in each of them.
Below are the best websites for any writer looking to build their skills, share their writing, find a new tool to help them write, and find work that they enjoy.
Best websites for skill building
QuickAndDirtyTips.com/Grammar Girl
QDT covers topics in "quick" and refreshing posts tackling topics like grammar misconceptions and common mistakes, how to communicate effectively, and special interests like etiquette and manners. Readers can either skim the website looking for answers to their burning questions or get caught up and start listening religiously.
For podcast listeners, QDT also produces the Grammar Girl podcast, which features professional reading of grammar tips much like what readers would find on the QDT website. Whether writers prefer binging these tips online or listening to them while doing laundry, writers can avoid grammar pitfalls while reading these short and sweet articles.
Example takeaway: Usage of "lay" requires an object, while "lie" doesn't. QDT provides a chart showing the present tenses, past tenses, and past participles of each.
Now Novel
Of course, a fair amount of writers out there specialize in writing fiction, whatever the genre may be. Others write about the real and tangible. Each of these writers can benefit from tips from Now Novel.
Now Novel's main site offers a paid service that will help you write a novel, but its blog is filled with useful information and it is completely free.
The stories you can find on this blog are extensive and can help you get a good start on finding story topics, writing quality story arcs, making well-developed antagonists, and even using grammar to set a pace. Writers may find it surprising that this blog is offered without a purchase of the service.
Example takeaway: Only include humor when it's effective. Terry Pratchett's Discworld included a prologue that included epic language used humorously, but only because it fit well with the rest of the book.
750words.com
750words.com is based entirely on the idea that practice makes perfect. It asks writers to draft 750 words, or three pages according to the site, of whatever comes to their minds. It gives users one "point" for writing anything, then it gives them larger point amounts for longer and more consistent writing.
The site is a digitized take on morning pages, which ask writers to write frequently at the start of every day. In addition to helping writers hone their writing, morning pages also help them overcome anxiety about putting pen to paper by making it a daily routine.
The description on the site explains that it is not a social network or a blog, but a way for you to write to yourself. It encourages simply initiating the writing stage of content creation, without needing to worry how the work will be received.
The site also tracks your writing habits, letting you learn a bit more about your own process.
Takeaway: Writing to yourself can be a kind of therapy, letting you get to know about your own anxieties on writing.
Best websites for sharing your writing
Reddit r/writing
Yes, writers can even visit Reddit, a website that relies on its users, to receive valuable advice. This website can serve as a resource for many aspects of a writer's career, but the ability to receive feedback, personal experiences, and writing tips alike makes Reddit's "r/writing" community unique.
R/writing functions as a community somewhat akin to social media rather than a blog from an expert. This community focus can allow writers to receive varying viewpoints on their questions and their work, if they choose to post it. There is a weekly critique segment where any user can post examples of their work and receive in-depth feedback.
Of course, this is also a community where people can come together and appreciate writing. Users often post about their favorite authors.
Takeaway: In response to a user looking to get over writer's block, user mannotron posted a quote from Dan Harmon that says: My best advice about writer's block is: the reason you're having a hard time writing is because of a conflict between the GOAL of writing well and the FEAR of writing badly.
Scribophile
Scribophile is a real-deal community of writers all looking to build each other's talents and share their experiences. The site boasts about 898,774 critiques served for 152,579 works. Scribophile offers both a basic and a free account for members.
The site even offers a degree of copyright protection, since no one else except members of the community will be able to view your work. Scribophile also offers contests for real money. Learning materials and guides are also provided. The site is a real launchpad for someone looking to get into writing as a career.
Takeaway: Scribophile's homepage offers a bit of promotion for their critiques with a quote from Kingsley Amis, If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing.
Best websites for starting your writing
Zenpen
You can go to zenpen.io right now, delete the instructions in the word processor that is presented, hit fullscreen in the top-right, and start writing. That's it.
Zenpen gives users a minimalistic word processor that supports basic text creation. After you hit fullscreen, you're greeted with practically nothing, just a word processor and no distractions. It's wonderful.
According to its "about" text, Zenpen is simply made to get you into the zone of being able to write. It's a great way to just start writing already.
Takeaway: Black text stands out on a white background.
Power Thesaurus
For writers who wish to at least temporarily ignore Stephen King's advice against thesauruses, power thesaurus is a great crowd-sourced iteration of the tool synonymous (or equivalent, equal, tantamount, or corresponding) with creative writing.
Users simply enter a word into a familiar search bar for alternative words. The site is crowdsourced, meaning you can expect increasingly relevant results as this site goes on. After this, you can filter based on the type of word you're looking for. The site remembers every word that you search, so you can easily go back to tricky (or crafty, difficult, or cunning) words.
One of the site's biggest pros is its great web design. Everything pops out to the reader and menus are easy to navigate.
Takeaway: An idiom for the word "resplendent" is "open-work silk." An expression for "constitution is "warp and woof."
Best websites to further your career as a writer
EasyBib
Easybib.com may be known worldwide as a service that has helped millions of students generate automatic citations, but the site also provides easy guides that can serve as a quick and free substitute for physical MLA/APA/Chicago stylebooks.
The guides provide basic formatting and word usage information along with answers for special cases like making a parenthetical citation for three to five authors.
Writers who hone their skills on academic citations can avoid a lot of trouble down the road when writing anything that requires crediting others' work. It's a must for nonfiction writers of all sorts.
Takeaway: APA style is generally used by those in the behavioral and social sciences while Chicago is most commonly used in history courses.
WhoPaysWriters.com
Say you want to get paid writing, as most of us do. You could simply enter some search terms into a basic job search website to find local in need of writers in your immediate area, but there's a good chance the search results will be cluttered and include a lot of less well-intentioned employers. If only there was a list of employers somewhere that included a list of all employers who will pay for writing.
Those interested in this exact list can go to WhoPaysWriters.com. Spanning from "100 Days in Appalachia" to "Zymurgy Magazine," this list is as diverse as it is extensive. Users can click on any of these names to read a report on what was written for a particular user and how much they were paid. This list is a great way for writers to be selective in their searches.
Takeaway: Lighting & Sound America paid a user $0.32 per word for a 3000-word feature in 2017. The payment was made in two months. AARP Bulletin was also reported to pay a surprising $2.00 per word for a "200-word fob."