100 Resources Every Writer Should Know About
100 Resources Every Writer Should Know About
The world wide web provides access to a wealth of useful information, tools and services. However, it can be difficult and time-consuming to find the best resources to support your writing journey. Whether you are a novelist, short story writer or scriptwriter there are awesome resources available to help you.
This article details the best 100 resources for writers in 2018. It is probably the most comprehensive and varied list available in 2018 covering everything from language tools to publishing platforms.
PLANNING TOOLS
Lara Ferrari’s website has a number of tools designed to help novelists get started. Her idea generator is a great place to start. The website also offers an idea tester to see if your idea is likely to be sustainable throughout a whole novel. There are a number of other articles and tools available on the website and this is likely to increase in the future.
Using mind mapping software is a great idea for writers. It enables you to organise your thoughts in a very visual way and many of these programs enable you to attach links and annotations to thought bubbles. XMind Mind Mapping software is available for Windows, Mac, Linux or Apple iOS. There is a free version and a Professional (paid) version.
Evernote is a great planning tool as it has a number of features that are useful to writers. There is a ‘web clipper’ feature enabling you to store and share useful web information you discover during the research phase of your writing. It also has some other cool features such a searching text contained in images. There are free and paid versions for a variety of platforms and the Evernote website has some very useful articles too.
Annie Neugebauer is a novelist who blogs about a variety of writing topics on her website. Helpfully, she has also created a number of useful resources such as the novel plotting worksheets. At the time of writing, there are approximately 14 different worksheets, charts and spreadsheets on her website. Thank you, Annie!
‘Writing Exercises’ provides a very simple and cool plot generator tool. There are six buttons (Main Character, Character 2, Setting, Situation, Theme and Character Action) with a text box below. You simply click each button in turn to randomly create each element. You can click any button again to change that element of the idea.
The Plot Generator is rather misleading because it provides so much more than its title suggests. The plot generator contains six different tools including short story, movie script and opening line generators. There are also blurb generators, name generators and many others. Definitely worth visiting but be warned it is a little addictive.
Writing flash fiction is a specialist writing skill and so any advice to first-timers is always useful. In true ‘Wikihow’ style this Flash Fiction Planning article gives you a step by step guide, with the usual visuals, to guide you through the process. You also have the opportunity to ask the author questions if you are still a little stuck.
Kanban is not often used by writers but it is a great tool for planning your writing. Especially larger projects such as novels. Whilst it is primarily used in business and software development there are many benefits for writers too. A Kanban is an organisational tool enabling you to set goals and stay motivated. Monday.com is a great product for this purpose.
FreeMind is a free mind-mapping software that you can use to organise your research or plan larger projects. You can include web links or links to files within your mind map, change it using the drag and drop features and can even export the finished map for use elsewhere.
Novel writing templates are a key part of the planning process in the Novel Suite program. They include scene outlines, events, locations, characters, overall structure, and even the synopsis. They can be tagged to a book, or multiple books, and accessed for easy reference throughout the novel writing process.
Narata Storytelling Cards is a deck of 100 illustrated cards for brainstorming stories and other creative work. Narata Storytelling Cards will appeal to all kinds of storytellers, be they novelists, short story writers, screenwriters for film and television, playwrights, or comic book creators.
LANGUAGE TOOLS
Grammarly is grammar checking software available in a variety of formats including a free Google Chrome plugin and a Microsoft Word plugin. The free version is perfectly adequate for many writers. The paid version offers enhanced features suitable for advanced or professional writers and includes plagiarism checking as well.
The Collins Dictionary provides an online thesaurus which is a great resource for writers. It contains over half a million words and phrases making the thesaurus, and other features, very effective. The website also offers a number of other features such as single word, multi-language translation.
The Cliché finder enables you to type (or copy and paste) content into a text box. Simply click the ‘Find Clichés’ button underneath and the original text is displayed with any clichés highlighted in colour throughout the results.
White Smoke is a five-in-one software that offers spelling, grammar, style, punctuation checkers as well as a supporting translation for 55 different languages. The software is available for Windows and Mac computers offering three different subscription levels. An Android Mobile App is available to subscribers for an additional $9.95 per month.
The Sentence Checker website enables you to check the structure of your sentence by typing (or copying and pasting) your content into the text box and clicking the ‘Check your text’ button. Results are given in statistical terms but give a good overview of your sentence structure and quality.
Google Translate offers free translation tools including the ability to automatically detect unfamiliar languages. It is quick and easy to use and ideal for individual words or phrases. There is an option to upload documents which is ideal for longer passages of text.
Eggtimer is a great site for writers who need a little extra focus. When you are looking to do any timed writing activity, such as maybe a freewriting exercise, then e.ggtimer.com is the website to use. You simply put in the time and a beeper goes off when the time has expired.
A basic knowledge of proofreading marks is likely to be useful to all writers. The Society for Editors and Proofreaders website provides some great guidance including some of the proof marks that are used by professionals.
Copyscape is a popular tool featuring a plagiarism checker. It is a valuable resource for writers from two different perspectives. You can check if your work has been published on the internet without your permission. Alternatively, you can check your own work to ensure you will not be accused of copying someone else’s work because yours is very similar.
Readable.io is a website where you can copy and paste text, upload a document or provide a website address for analysis. The service will provide a variety of reports including readability scores, text analysis and reading/speaking time.
SHORT COURSES
Masterclass is a service offering online video courses (with support materials) presented by creative experts. There are a number of writing courses including novel writing with James Patterson, writing for television, screenwriting and many others. You can purchase individual courses or pay an annual fee to access all the courses on the website.
The Open University offers a free course called Start Writing Fiction on their website. The course covers topics such as character, setting and genre. The course will take about 12 hours to complete and you get a statement of participation at the end of it.
The Writers Academy offers courses on many different aspects of creative writing. It is offered by the world’s largest publisher. Students are supported by experienced editors and authors. There is also a blog with some useful articles for aspiring writers to read on the website.
The Writers Store offers a total of 44 online scriptwriting courses available both on-demand and with live instructor feedback options. Courses include screenwriting basics, writing the 1 hour TV drama and Four weeks to your sitcom pilot.
Scribble is a free 14-week ‘writing for new writers’ course covering language and grammar skills rather than creative writing. This will not suit you if you are an experienced writer but may be useful for beginners.
The Writer Bureau has been offering home study writing courses for nearly 30 years. They currently offer 14 courses including their most popular comprehensive writing course. Novel and short story writing, writing for children and poetry are some of the others that are available.
Stanford University offers a free online ‘Adventures in writing course’ that should take 4-6 hours to complete. It covers language, style, voice and punctuation topics. This is a great language course for more academic writers but could be a useful refresher for all.
The BBC Writers Room is the website where you pitch your script to the BBC for future development. That aside, the writer’s lab section provides many valuable resources to help aspiring scriptwriters including interviews, writing exercises and actual television show scripts.
APPLICATIONS
Novel Suite is a novel planning software that takes care of every aspect of your project planning and writing. With its unique approach to novel writing, this system features drag and drop functionality with templates, outlines, sticky notes, character profiles and lots more. It is a web-based solution meaning you can access it on the go too.
Microsoft Word is one of the most popular word processing programs throughout the world. Over recent years, it has significantly improved in its usability and there a lot of functions that are particularly useful to writers. These include spell check, grammar check, synonyms and a wide variety of optional (third party) plugins such as Grammarly.
Scrivener is designed for writers with a whole host of features that make larger writing projects, such as novels, a breeze. It features a word processor, a range of planning and organisational tools and other cool features such as document conversion. Be willing to invest time into learning how to use this system.
Some writers prefer to use dictation to create their works. If this is you then Nuance Dragon provides a number of software products that can help you out. Dragon software is expensive but might be a worthwhile investment for some writers. Dragon dictation software is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
As the title suggest this free software from Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) makes it easier to create children’s books for the Kindle platform. The Kids Book Creator software is easier to use and takes the stress out of creating visual eBooks.
New Novelist is a well-established novel writing software for Windows. It is not available for Mac or any other platform. Planning your novel is made easier by working your way through its unique novel setup process. There is plenty of guidance throughout which enables you to focus on the creative side of the process. However, you may find it restrictive if you prefer a more creative approach to plotting.
The Sigil eBook editor is a free piece of software designed specifically for writing, formatting and converting manuscripts into eBook formats. If you are looking to create a high-quality product with the ability to get right into the coding of an eBook this is the software for you. Many writers prefer to stick to a standard Word Processing software and outsource the conversion.
Final Draft is a screenwriting software used by industry heavyweights such as BBC, MGM, Paramount and Walt Disney Pictures. If you are thinking of getting into screenwriting as a career then Final Draft is the software to use. It is available for Windows, Mac and there is an iOS app too. The full retail price is around $250 US for Windows / Mac and $9.99 for the iOS app. However, sign up to the mailing list for some great price promotions.
yWriter is a word processing software written by the writer (and software developer) Simon Haynes. It is designed to enable you to break down your writing into manageable chunks. It is ideally suited to fiction although could be used for many types of writing in reality. Simon has created other free programs on his website that are worth looking at too.
BLOGS & PODCASTS
Joanna Penn is a well-established writer and blogger whose popularity has risen considerably over the last few years. In addition to her famous blog, she has also written books, training courses, podcasts and much more besides. The Creative Penn has become an essential writer reference website.
The Writer Files is a weekly podcast hosted by Kelton Reid and featuring different writing-related topics on each show. It has gained popularity, in part, due to the scope of the topics covered from author interviews to productivity hacks. There is a show archive is available on the website.
Valarie Khoo and Allison Tait bring you this informative podcast covering a variety of writing topics. These include interviews, advice and industry news that provide valuable insight into writers looking to get published. Each episode is approximately 1 hour long.
The Narrative Breakdown is a podcast that covers creative writing topics for fiction writers. It is hosted by Cheryl Klein and James Monohan and is a great resource for those who are passionate about the art of storytelling.
Jane Friedman is a publishing expert who focusses on the business of writing and publishing. Her extensive blog contains many articles on a range of topics from book launching to the realities of being a freelance writer. She offers advice on such subjects as securing a literary agent and writing a book proposal. Definitely worth a look.
The Sell More Book Show Podcast appears to be self-explanatory from its title. However, a diverse range of topics is covered from pricing to Facebook algorithms. Therefore, it is best not to underestimate how valuable a resource this podcast is to you before you have had a chance to listen to it.
The Write Life blog features articles created by a number of contributors and covering a wide variety of topics including crowdfunding, freelancing, book cover design and lots more besides. The website is easy to navigate and the articles are well written. If you sign up for their free newsletter they offer a giveaway called The Freelance Writer’s Pitch Checklist.
The Grammar Girl podcast offers short writing advice broadcasts usually lasting no more than twenty minutes. It is a great way to learn about punctuation, grammar and style if you have limited time on your hands. Grammar Girl posts regular podcasts and there is a backlist of over 600 episodes available on the site.
I think it is safe to say that this unique podcast offers topics about writing that you will not find anywhere else. Covering topics including ‘new and interesting ways to screw up your book on its journey to the bookstore’ and ‘inventing new languages within fiction’ no podcast is the same. Expect the unexpected in the DRS Podcasts available from the website.
The blog of KM Weiland offers some fun and informative blog posts. Not just covering different aspects of writing there are also posts about things to read, when to write a prologue and much more besides. This blog has been going for over ten years and so there is something for everyone on here.
FREELANCE MARKETPLACES
Freelancer features over 40 categories relating to writing including book writing, copywriting, short stories and travel writing. If you are looking to earn money from your writing then freelancer will have clients waiting to pay for your services.
Guru.com is a website where clients look for experts in certain areas including writers and translators. There are a huge amount of writing categories covering every imaginable area of writing. In fact, it is worth looking at the list just for inspiration (https://www.guru.com/m/hire/freelancers/writing-translation/).
Problogger is the website to use if you are a writer wanting to make money from your blog writing skills. This website offers a job search tool, tips on applying for jobs and lots of other tools and resources as well. The Problogger podcast is worth a listen if you are passionate about blogging.
Selling your work for five dollars might not sound particularly appealing. However, if you deliver high-quality work the earnings can soon add up to an impressive amount. You also have the option of charging for upsells within your ‘gigs’ to increase earnings. There are also many useful fiverr gigs you might want to purchase while you are browsing the site.
The Writers Den costs $25 US for access to a whole host of resources including live training, online courses and of course the all-important jobs board. There is no minimum membership commitment and a 7-day money back guarantee is offered.
People Per Hour enables you to sell your writing skills by the hour and set your own pay rate. The majority of freelancers in the writing category charge between $14 and $40 per hour. The website offers an escrow service to provide both writers and clients with some level of protection.
Sponsored Reviews enables you to write review blog posts in return for cash. These must be honest and complete reviews in order for you to earn money. You can either approach advertisers or create a profile on the website and wait for them to approach you in order to start earning.
Freelance Writing Gigs is a blog site that provides regular posts detailing the last writing opportunities. New posts are posted regularly and the website also offers a freelance writing job board and resources for writers.
Upwork is a great website for being paid for your writing by bidding on the projects of your choosing. Upwork is easy to use and navigate and offers financial protection for writers. You can choose to work on fixed price projects or be paid by the hour if you prefer.
WRITING COMMUNITIES
BooxRix groups are a great place for writers to socialise. There are many different groups on the site including young writers, better writers and serious writers groups with many members in each one. A great place to share your thoughts and learn something new from your writing peers.
Reddit Writers Group is one of the most popular writing groups on the internet. The value of Reddit is that it enables you to get honest, constructive feedback on your writing from other writers in the community. It is generally considered a friendly and supportive place to share your creative work.
Protagonize is a creative writing community with over 20,000 registered authors worldwide. There is a very informative and useful blog on the site and archives going back to 2008 available for you to read. Even though the community has now gone offline, the blog is still worth reading.
Writing.com is an online writing community that enables you to share up to ten pieces of writing on your profile free of charge. There is the opportunity for new and experienced writers to get feedback on their work from the community. Useful resources are also available on the site including newsletters and F.A.Q’s.
Writers Café is a free online writing community offering the chance to post all genres of creative writing. You can get advice and support from fellow community members as well as start your own online writing groups on the site. The Writers Café blog keeps you up to date with any news about the site itself.
Scribophile is an online writer’s community focussed on members reviewing each other’s work. In fact, nearly half a million pieces of writing have been shared on the site so far. There are lots of writing resources to help you improve and free writing contents are run each month.
Word Cloud is a free writing community where you can share your writing, join groups and plan events. Unusually, this writing community enables you to share photos and music as well as your writing with community members. They also run writing classes and hold other events in London, UK.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an initiative to encourage you to write your novel within one month – during November every year to be exact. There is plenty of resources and lots of community support on the website to help you succeed including the NaNoWriMo forums.
Wattpad is the world’s largest writing community covering every genre of writing from non-fiction to poetry and literary fiction to name just a few. Wattpad was launched over twelve years ago and has over 40 million community members. Get truly global feedback from this writing community.
The Underlined Community enables you to create a profile and bio, connect your account to your social media accounts and share your writing all in one place. Getting feedback from other community members is useful and you can also follow other writers within the community as well.
This is the community the wordsmiths visit when they want to play. All are welcome; new writers, established writers, professional writers, hobbyist writers, even non-writers just looking to get started.
WRITING COMPETITIONS
Writer’s Digest hosts the Annual Writing Competition. This competition spotlights writing in many categories including poetry, scripts, memoirs and genre fiction. There are 9 categories to choose from.
This short story prize is open to unpublished works of fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Entry to the competition is free with a first prize £5,000 ($7,000) and regional prizes of £2,500 ($3,500). Previous winning entries are available on the website to give you inspiration for your entry.
Lorian Hemingway (granddaughter of Ernest) has been involved with this short story competition for over 30 years. During that time it has expanded to attracted entries from all around the world. Short stories entered must be less than 3,500 words in length. There is a grand prize of $1,500 (£1,000) and publication and two further prizes of $500 (£350). The entry fee is $15 (£10) per submission.
The Writers and Artists’ Yearbook is the ultimate reference book for authors. It is published yearly and offers a comprehensive listing of industry contacts as well as useful articles and advice. Their short story competition is open to submissions of 2,000 words or less. Entry is free and winners get to attend a 4 or 6-day writers retreat.
The Society of Authors offers a range of awards and prize to writers. Pretty much every genre is covered by an award including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Every year a total of over £85,000 ($119,000) is offered in prize money.
CRITIQUE & PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
The Institute of Writers offers a critique service for all genres of writing including fiction, non-fiction and memoirs. Their fees depend on the length and type of work involved and begin at around $160 (£114). Your manuscript must be submitted in Microsoft Word format and feedback is marked using its reviewing tools.
The literary consultancy is based in the UK and has been in business for over twenty years. They offer manuscript assessment, mentoring and editing services. Readers are all experienced writers in their own right. Critique fees start at £90 ($126) for a short story rising to £410 ($575) for up to 60,000 words novels.
Peggy McColl is known as the millionaire author mentor and is a New York Bestseller herself. She is an international speaker on writing who is an expert in helping authors to make money from their writing. She offers mentorship to new and existing authors specialising in non-fiction work.
Susanne Lakin is an author and editor with over 20 years of experience. She is the author of over twenty novels in different genres ranging from fantasy to historical romance. Her wealth of real-life experience as both an editor and author gives a valuable perspective on your work. Fees range from $8 (£5) per page to $600 (£425) for a proposal package appraisal.
Cassandra has over 35 years of experience as a writer and has written over 50 books during that time. She has mentored a number of writers and offers a critique service backed up by her knowledge and experience. She offers rewrites, telephone consultations and manuscript appraisals. As an example of fees, a 1 hour consultation costs $150 (£106).
- New Writing South (Scripts & Poetry)
New Writing South offers a critique service for stage, tv, film and radio scripts and poetry. Submissions can be made by post or online. The costs vary according to the type and length of script provided but begin at around £45 ($63). Reports usually take four to six week to complete.
- Agent Query Connect: For Traditional Publishing
Agent Query Connect is a networking site for the writing and publishing community. It offers the opportunity, through its forums, to receive feedback and critiques from other members of the website. There are a number of subgroups including query and hook critique related ones.
Professional editing improves the quality of writing and enhances the overall story. For authors who are ready to send a query letter, or self-publish their book, a professional edit will refine their manuscript.
This is one of the best ways of increasing the chances of success!
Cornerstones literary consultancy offers manuscript appraisals for writers. It was launched twenty years ago with the purpose of helping authors to fulfil their dreams of publication. There is a range of services available from editorial to developmental guidance.
An Early Intervention is the opportunity to have your plot aligned before investing time and energy on completing your masterpiece. The validation of your novel’s foundations and structure significantly promote confidence in your writing from that point forward.
PUBLISHING PLATFORMS
- CreateSpace: Paperback Publishing
Createspace is the print on demand service offering from Amazon. It enables you to publish your book in paperback and easily list it for sale on Amazon websites around the world. Although authors can purchase copies at a low price there is no volume discount available.
Kobo Writing Life offers the opportunity to self-publish eBooks on the Kobo website. Kobo is active in over 190 countries around the world giving your book a truly global reach. You retain the rights to your work. You are not tied to publishing only on the Kobo platform.
Bookbaby offers a comprehensive range of publishing services. This includes print on demand, eBook conversion and book distribution services for self-publishers. Bookbaby also offers design and editing services making it a great one-stop-shop for writers looking to self-publish.
Amazon ACX is the audiobook publishing platform offered by Amazon. There is a bit of a learning curve for new audiobook publishers particularly in relation to meeting the technical/sound requirements of your audio files. However, it does offer great market exposure via Amazon so is worth serious consideration.
Ingram Spark is a self-publishing platform supporting eBook and paperback publishing. Whereas most publishing platforms take their profits from sales, Ingram Spark charge a setup a cost of $25 (£18) for eBook setup and $49 (£35) for print and eBook setup. There are various distribution options.
- Blurb: Books, Magazines, ebooks
Blurb offers the opportunity to publish print on demand books, eBooks and magazines. This makes it unique amongst self-publishing platform providers. Writers can print single copies as well as larger quantities of their work. Blurb offers warehouse and fulfilment services too.
Smashwords is an eBook publishing platform offering the opportunity to publish your eBook free or for profit. Currently, the site offers over half a million eBooks in its catalogue. Smashwords is appealing to many writers due to its high royalty rates of between 60% and 80% on sales.
Issuu offers digital publication options for publishers of magazines, newspaper, guidebooks and much more. It is ideal for publishing highly visual products and has a catalogue of over 30 million items. Issuu is a subscription-based service offering different cost levels based on your requirements. This ranges from free to $269 per month.
Kindle Direct Publishing offers eBook publishing services to writers. It offers high royalty rates, some great incentive programs and a range of easy to use tools to help you along the way. Your eBooks can be made available worldwide via Amazon using the KDP website. KDP is becoming increasingly integrated with Createspace to make multi-format publishing even easier.
Lulu is a self-publishing platform offering great distribution options including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks. You can publish photo books and calendars in addition to eBooks and paperbacks. Unlike Amazon’s Createspace, Lulu offers volume print discounts to its users.
SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
- Noveliscious – Twitter
Noveliscious, who is also found on Facebook, provide continual inspiration to writers. The amazing artworks featured on this account is what makes it such a standout.
- Writers Posts – Instagram
Writers Posts is a great account for writing prompts, quotes and ideas. With continual feeds and a vibrant community, there is always something new and inspiring everytime you go to their page.
- Calls for Submissions – Facebook
Authors from all walks of life share their work, feedback, and opportunities that arise in the writing world. This is a members only site and really well run by the administrators. A very positive vibe.
- Jenna Moreci – You Tube
This one is a little different in the sense that Jenna is hilariously sarcastic and actually pokes fun at writers. Great relief from a long writing session. She really brings you back to earth and makes writers have a good laugh at themselves.
- The Writer’s Circle – Facebook
The Writer’s Circle is a page followed by over one million creative people. Sharing news, ideas, and quirky little tales, the Writer’s Circle attracts a lot of creative conversation. A great place to make like-minded connections.
- K.M Weilland – Pinterest
For the visually inspired, these Pinterest boards are gorgeous. They include great book cover designs, interesting titles, quotes, gift ideas, and what we all love… writing resources!
- Elizabeth Gilbert – Instagram
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love runs a great Instagram account with a positive vibe. Posts are always positive, encouraging, and even somewhat spiritual.