Writer’s Digest - 101 Best Sites

Agent Query offers lists of established literary agents seeking writers. It also offers tips for formatting your query letter and packaging your submission. Best of all, it’s free.

American Writers & Artists Inc.

www.awaionline.com

Looking to improve your copywriting, travel-writing or résumé-writing skills? Check out this site and its free newsletter.

Arcaedia

arcaedia.livejournal.com

Literary agent Jennifer Jackson dishes out writing advice and her thoughts on the publishing industry.

Arm Chair Interviews

www.armchairinterviews.com

Eyes hurt? Take a break from your writing and grab your headphones. These online author interviews inform and inspire.

Ask Oxford

www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/classicerrors

Confused by “who” and “whom”? Don’t know what a dangling participle is? This site offers the answers to classic grammar questions.

Authors In Your Pocket

www.authorsinyourpocket.com

For those needing a break from writing, tune into this site’s weekly podcasts covering the latest book news, one-on-one interviews with literary personalities and monthly bookclub Q&A sessions with authors.

Autocrit

www.autocrit.com

AutoCrit automatically identifies weak words and structures. It’s a great tool for cleaning up your writing before you pass it on to your human critique partners.

Backspace

www.bksp.org

Backspace features articles, columns and news from industry insiders. Check out the forum, which hosts guest speakers, including literary agents, editors and authors.

Bartleby

www.bartleby.com

Need a quote? Want the inside scoop on dinosaurs? This reference site for literature searches other databases to get the information you need.

Book In A Week

www.book-in-a-week.com

Forget about outlining. Forget about editing. Just sit down and write. That’s the motto of this site. You get one week (usually the first week of the month) to write as much as you can. Of course, to finish in seven days, you’ll need a strong will—and lots of caffeine.

Book Promotion Newsletter

www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com

This biweekly newsletter contains great tips, reviews and interviews, plus the chance to sound off on issues. While there’s a charge for new editions of the newsletter, each is archived three months after publication and is then accessible for free.

Brady Magazine

www.bradymagazine.com

Looking for advice on the business side of writing? Brady Magazine has tips on marketing and publicity, along with a free markets newsletter.

Carol Kluz

www.carolkluz.homestead.com/index1.html

If our list of 101 web resources doesn’t keep you busy, Carol Kluz’s site is filled with dozens more. Check it out.

Christian Storyteller

www.christianstoryteller.com

As advertised, it’s a nonprofit website of Christian authors for Christian authors by Christian authors. The site highlights up-and-coming authors and books, and offers marketing seminars on cruises—what’s not to like about that?

Constant-Content

www.constant-content.com

Write about any topic, name your price and place it on this site. Folks in need of web content can browse the work and buy what they want at this online store for freelance work. The cost to you is a 35-percent commission, but there are no upfront costs and you can work at your own pace.

Cool Stuff 4 Writers

www.coolstuff4writers.com

A great place to find gifts for writers, such as a a€?Writer At Work/Do Not Disturb/a€? doorknob hanger.

Creative Writing Prompts

www.creativewritingprompts.com

If you need a quick and easy writing prompt, this site provides more than 200.

Crime Writers

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/crime-writers

With more than 500 members, this group is a forum for those interested in writing or currently writing crime fiction, including police procedurals, noir, hard-boiled, etc.

Critique Circle

www.critiquecircle.com

This online workshop is home to writers of all genres and includes tools for manuscript progress, submission tracking, character generation and more.

Critique.org

www.critique.org

Serious science fiction, fantasy and horror writers need look no further, as this group will give you an honest critique. The cost? You must critique another group member’s work.

Dragon Writing Prompts

www.dragonwritingprompts.blogsome.com

Choose from hundreds of writing prompts to inspire you or ward off that pesky writer’s block. Separated into categories, prompts can be found to suit your mood.

Duotrope

www.duotrope.com

This database contains more than 1,525 current markets for short fiction, poetry and novels/collections. Some of its features include the ability to search by pay scale and submission length.

Edit Red

www.editred.com

Besides basic writing tips, this site offers a free personal webpage, promotion and marketing tools, and a supportive writing community. Some of the work posted is printed in anthologies that Edit Red sells.

Editor and Publisher Jobs

www.editorandpublisherjobs.com

Looking for a job? This site has searchable classifieds so you can find a writing-related job in your area.

Erotica Readers

www.erotica-readers.com

The writing may be too steamy for some, but it hits the sweet spot for serious erotica writers. If you’re under 18, you’ll need to find your tips elsewhere.

Fandangle Magazine

www.fandanglemagazine.com

With a name like Fandangle, what’s not to like? The virtual library of free children’s e-books and audio books is a nice touch. The site’s writers’ resources include a comprehensive index and links to sources that promote and educate writers.

Fanstory

www.fanstory.com

If you’re looking for peer-to-peer reviews, this site can help. All forms of writing are welcome, including poetry, stories, book chapters and scripts. If you want only to read others’ work, it’s free, but submitting your work will cost you a small monthly fee.

Fiction Factor

www.fictionfactor.com

Not only does Fiction Factor want you to get published, but the site also post warnings so you don't get taken in by publishing schemes.

First Writer

www.firstwriter.com

With an advanced database of more than 650 literary agencies, this site will help you find one to fit your needs. It also boasts contest, book and magazine searches.

Freelance Writing Jobs

www.writersrow.com/deborahng/freelancewritingjobs.html

Stop by this great resource for freelance writing jobs. The list pulls from all over the place and is updated frequently.

Funds for Writers

www.fundsforwriters.com

With a focus on earning money as a writer, this site lists paying markets and features grant listings.

Google Book Search

www.books.google.com

This section of the Google empire allows users to search the full text of books and find topical sections of books based on keywords and phrases. While you can’t get to everything, its index is pretty large—but then again, what part of Google isn’t?

Gutenberg

www.gutenberg.org

Check out this collection of more than 20,000 free e-books.

JacketFlap

www.jacketflap.com

This site has a comprehensive database of statistics and information on children’s book publishers. Plus, if you submit contact information on a publisher that’s more up-to-date than what’s on the site, they’ll reward you with points that you can redeem for Amazon gift certificates.

Jewish Writers

www.geocities.com/jewishwriting/Start.html

If you’re a Jewish writer, this site will help you not only connect with other Jewish writers but also navigate today’s market.

Kid Magazine Writers

www.kidmagwriters.com

Kids read magazines, too. Visit this site if your writing would fit better in the pages of Highlights or Humpty Dumpty's Magazine than in book form.

Knight Agency

www.knightagency.blogspot.com

The Q&A sessions at this site give you a chance to ask your most pressing writing questions to authors and agents. The agency specializes in romance and women’s fiction, but also represents literary fiction, African American, religious, financial, self-help and health nonfiction.

League_XRevisionists

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/league_xrevisionists

This site employs the “Pay it forward” philosophy—when someone helps you, help the next person in the chain. It’s a group for working writers. Its motto: “A Writing Group for One to One Aid in Conquering the Writing World.”

Literary Law Guide

www.literarylawguide.com/resources.htm

Looking for the latest in copyright news? Visit this site run by an intellectual property lawyer to get answers to legal questions facing writers today.

Long Story Short

www.longstoryshort.us

This writers’ e-zine is filled with stories written by many of its members. For a small yearly fee, the site offers personal webpages to promote your writing.

LuLu

www.lulu.com

If you’d like to see your book in print, this site offers a self-publishing option with no upfront costs.

Marcela Landres

www.marcelalandres.com

Stay on top of the latest Latino/Hispanic literary events, contests and writing opportunities by reading this former Simon & Schuster editor’s site.

Mediabistro

www.mediabistro.com

From news in the publishing world to writer opinions, this site has everything you need to stay up on the freelancers’ world. A must for all trying to survive in today’s competitive journalism market.

Merriam-Webster

www.m-w.com

Dictionary and thesaurus too heavy? Merriam-Webster online provides both and more, including word games, “Word of the Day” and the “Word for the Wise” podcasts.

Miss Snark

www.misssnark.blogspot.com

This anonymous agent gives an honest, harsh and hilarious look inside the publishing world by answering readers’ questions and critiquing queries.

Mom Writer's Lit Magazine

www.momwriterslitmag.com

Writing moms, look no futher. This online literary magazine for moms, by moms, features stories on the ups, downs and challenges of motherhood. It publishes creative nonfiction essays, columns, book reviews and profiles about mom writers.

Movie Bytes

www.moviebytes.com

Winning a screenwriting contest could be your ticket to fame, fortune and a date with George Clooney (or Keira Knightley). Find the one that suits your needs in this site’s database.

Muse It Up Club

www.museitupclub.tripod.com

Do you prefer small critique groups? This site matches authors who have common writing interests/goals and are willing to revise one another’s work into groups of five or fewer.

Muslim Writers Society

www.writers.oneummah.net

Muslims can gather here to exchange ideas, post writings and offer one another encouragement.

My Writer's Circle

www.mywriterscircle.com

Apart from review boards for prose, poetry and scriptwriting, there are general advice boards, writers resources, a chat room and even a coffee shop (for off-topic conversation). It supports writers of all levels in a friendly, informal way.

NaNoWriMo

www.nanowrimo.org

November is National Novel Writing Month, and this site offers support, advice and a page to monitor your progress as you attempt the NaNoWriMo challenge: 50,000 words in 30 days.

Novel In 90

www.community.livejournal.com/novel_in_90/profile

The goal: 270 pages of a novel in 90 days. The concept: to help members complete their novels in a reasonable time, taking into account real-life conditions. At three pages a day, it’s worth a shot.

Novelspot

www.novelspot.net

“If books were people, they’d mingle at Novelspot.” This funny motto is fitting for the site, which features interviews and tips for writers of action-adventure, fantasy, historical fiction, romance and sci-fi. Note: There’s adult content, so keep those youngsters away.

Novice Writers

www.novicewriters.net

For beginning writers, this is a nice place to test the waters. Fan fiction is welcome here, as are those who not only write but also express themselves through other artistic mediums.

OnceWritten

www.oncewritten.com

Update your blog more often with the free “sticky” content (writing prompts and/or writing contest information) offered by this site.

Our Echo

www.ourecho.com

This site believes everyone has a story and wants to know what yours is. It offers creative writing themes and a chance to learn about local communities.

ParaPublishing.com

www.parapub.com

Dan Poynter’s site is filled with useful information. Don’t miss the section dedicated to book statistics—slightly dated, but still one of the most comprehensive we’ve seen about the industry.

Preditors & Editors

www.anotherealm.com/prededitors

With a few clicks of the mouse, you can find out which writing-related services, contests, organizations, etc., are on the up-and-up and which should be avoided.

Pub Rants

www.pubrants.blogspot.com

The tagline says it all: “A very nice literary agent indulges in polite rants about queries, writers and the publishing industry.” This blog includes links to an array of even more writing resources.

Publicity Hound

www.publicityhound.com

Don’t have the funds to spend on self-promotion? No need to worry, as this site offers tips on how to get free publicity.

Rachel Vater

raleva31.livejournal.com

Former Guide to Literary Agents (Writer’s Digest Books) editor and current literary agent Rachel Vater gives her take on the inner workings of the publishing industry. She also offers plenty of tips and suggestions for writers looking for an agent.

Reality Copywriting

www.realitycopywriting.com

The tagline, “Real life stories explore the day-to-day successes and failures of freelance copyrighters,” is fitting. Many tips here on how to increase your confidence and income.

Refdesk

www.refdesk.com

This site is a one-stop resource for weather, world clocks, Internet search engines and other facts you might need to verify fast to meet your deadline.

Romance Divas

www.romancedivas.com

Need to a€?unleash your inner divaa€?? If so, stop by this award-winning Web site for romance writers.

Romance Junkies

www.romancejunkies.com

Get your romance-writing fix with interviews, contests and chats.

Romance Writing Tips

www.groups.msn.com/romancewritingtips

While this site boasts that it’s strictly for romance writing tips, it has links to several other lists of critique partners, writing partners and message boards.

Script-o-rama

www.script-o-rama.com

One of the best ways to improve your craft is to study the best. This site offers free scripts for almost any movie and TV show that you’d like to take a shot at.

The Dabbling Mum

www.thedabblingmum.com

Pick up writing tips from other busy parents using this site's selection of articles.

The Freelance Writing Organization-Int’l

www.fwointl.com

The Freelance Writing Organization-Int’l has excellent, searchable databases for many of your writing needs, including contests, articles, contests and classic literature downloads.

The Front List

www.thefrontlist.com

The Frontlist is a partnership between a publisher and literary agent (seeking new writers) that supports a peer-review process, where work that is highly regarded by the community is sent to both for consideration. They essentially ask the reader to help weed through the slush pile for them.

The National Federation of State Poetry Societies

www.nfsps.com

The National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering poetry on the national level and uniting poets in the bonds of fellowship and understanding. There are currently 23 states under its umbrella, and it’s growing.

The Next Big Writer

www.thenextbigwriter.com

With a wide variety of services in tow, this site has a forum where folks can post their work and get comments from other writers. For more in-depth resources, they do charge a fee.

The Poetry Market

www.thepoetrymarket.com

A poet’s paradise, this site offers a free monthly e-zine featuring poetry contests, markets, book reviews and a message board.

The Six-Word Memoir Book

www.smithmag.net/sixwords

This site offers a fun contest to write on different themes using only six words. It’s a challenge that can help remedy writer’s block.

The Writing Bridge

www.thewritingbridge.org

This group requires you to apply for membership, but once you’re in, you can participate in its forum, writing prompts and critique sections.

Think Baby Names

www.thinkbabynames.com

Don’t let your character names seem out of place for their era. This site offers a decade-by-decade breakdown (starting with 1900) of the top 100 names for both genders.

Toasted Cheese

www.toasted-cheese.com

a€?Hunt the snarka€? (find and rid your writing of all that keeps it from being the best) with writers of all genres at Toasted Cheese.

Todays-Woman.net

www.todays-woman.net

This site offers peer-to-peer feedback, a weekly contest and more. By joining, you receive your own personal page (with photo option) and blog. Men, you’re just as welcome as the women, but kids have to stay home (site is for 18 and older).

U.S. Copyright Office

www.copyright.gov

Your writing is copyrighted the minute you’ve put it in a tangible form, but if you want further protection, you can register it here. There’s a price, but the FAQ is free and very helpful.

White Paper Source

www.whitepapersource.com

Learn how to write white papers — proposed government policies — with the site’s free guide. Don’t hesitate to check out the tips, either, no matter what type of writer you are.

Wikipedia

www.wikipedia.com

While most pages of this online encyclopedia are pretty accurate, the entries can be updated by anyone who can access the Internet. A great starting point for information, but make sure you cross-reference with another source.

Wild Poetry Forum

www.wildpoetryforum.com

Share your poems and read others’ work on this popular forum. It’s user-friendly and accepts members as young as 13 years old.

Winning Writers

www.winningwriters.com

Revamped and ready to lay it on the line, this site is a great place to check the validity of poetry contests or enter the site's own contest.

Wordtrip

www.wordtrip.com

Discuss your writing or what's hot in bookstores in one of the many forums this site offers.

Write Side Out

www.writesideout.com

Need something to lighten your mood? Check out these humorous items geared toward writers. We recommend the “Wet Your Pants Mug.”

Writer Beware

www.sfwa.org/beware

Writer Beware alerts writers to writing scams, companies that don’t deliver what they promise and more. Can’t find a particular company? E-mail the founders—they’re quick to reply.

Writer Gazette

www.writergazette.com

This online gazette functions as a newspaper, bringing you writer-related articles, freelance job postings, tips, contests, resources and a classified section of magazines to pitch.

Writer Unboxed

www.writerunboxed.com

Let this site “unbox”—that is, dissect—genre-fiction writing through a discussion of craft. The author interviews are definitely worth a read.

Writers Chatroom

www.writerschatroom.com

This site has Celebrity Sundays, where up-and-coming authors, famous writers and other writing industry professionals stop by and chat online. The chats are moderated to allow attendees to get the most information from each chat.

Writers' Dock

www.writersdock.org

You name the genre, there’s probably some advice for you on this international writing resource site.

Writers Remember

www.writersremember.com

Tired of writing to please others? This writing group focuses on reigniting your creative candle. It features an e-zine/newsletter, forum and a warnings/bewares section to help you avoid writing scams.

Writers Write

www.writerswrite.com

This site has a lot of useful information, if you’re interested in self-publishing. The articles and interviews section makes for a good read.

Writers.net

www.writers.net

Use this site to have other writers, agents and editors answer your writing questions or to search for an agent or editor.

WritersBreak.com

www.writersbreak.com

This site has a bit of everything—from interviews to marketing tips to publishing resources—it covers all the corners of getting your work in print and out to a mass audience.

Writing Shaw Guides

www.writing.shawguides.com

Find a writing conference that’s right for you using this in-depth database.

Writing.com

www.writing.com

The largest online community of writers offers free and upgraded memberships to foster a sense of community for writers.

WritingTime.net

www.writingtime.net

This blog offers tips on many writing genres, inspiration to fire up your creativity, exercises to jump-start your writing and guidelines to help you with the craft. There’s also a list of must-read books and access to an online writing group.

Young Writers Society

www.youngwriterssociety.com

College-age and younger writers can hang out here and critique one another's writing.

Google Sponsored Links