8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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BY TIFFANY LUCKEY, WITH OPHELIA THOMAS
T H E 1 5 T H A N N UA L
101BEST
Websitesfor Writers
38 I WRITERS DIGEST I May/June 2013
ccording to the Indexed Web on
WorldWideWebSize.com, there
are currently more than 14 billion
Internet siteswhich explains why its
such an impossible task to scour them
in search o the jewels that are most
valuable to the writing lie.
Tats where we come in.For a decade and a hal, weve been busy doing the
legwork or you, combing through seemingly endless
streams o websites that target writers and highlighting
the very best in our annual roundup so you can spend
more time doing what you love: writing.
As in the past, weve mined this years gems rom thou-
sands o nominations submitted by the writing commu-
nity across the globe. Whether youre a longtime reader
or coming to this list or the rst time, youll nd the 15th
Annual 101 Best Websites or Writers to be a careully
chosen mix o sites that consistently earn a place here ortheir riches o resources, sites reclaiming their spots afer
some time away, and newcomers (highlighted in yellow)
making their debuts in our rankings.
For easy reerence, the list is divided into nine sections:
creativity, writing advice, everything agents, jobs and mar-
kets, general resources, publishing/marketing resources,
genres/niches, online writing communities, and just or
un. Weve also included symbols or a quick glance at
what each site offers: advice or writers, classes/workshops/conerences, contests, critique sections, e-newsletters/
RSS eeds, orums, content or young writers, job listings
that pay, markets or your work and a witter eed. And
in each category, weve spotlighted one site as the Best o
the Besttruly deserving o a close look rom practically
every writer.
Tis handy roundup o websites will steer you to
a bevy o useul resources that will keep your muse
inspired and your career moving orward. So grab your
laptop, tablet or smartphone, because a whole network o
community and support or writers has just gotten a loteasier to nd.
http://worldwidewebsize.com/http://worldwidewebsize.com/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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WritersDigest.com I 39
16
CREATIVITY
1. Bulwer-Lytton FictionContestbulwer-lytton.com
Craf the best terrible opening line to
a novel, and you could win! No wonder
writers ock to this un challenge year
afer yearits not ofen you can win an
award or writing something bad.
2. Creativity Portalcreativity-portal.com
Get inspiration on demand rom this
sites Imagination Prompt Generator
(under the Writing section), alongside
articles and exercises ocused on helping
you brainstorm ideas or your work.
3. Easy Street Prompts
easystreetprompts.blogspot.comI you preer visual inspiration, then Easy
Street is or you; it offers both photo and
video prompts to spark your imagination.
4. First 50 Wordsfirst50.wordpress.com
Author Virginia DeBolt posts new
prompts regularly and invites writers
to respond live in the comments thread.
Short and sweet, in 50 words or ewer
participants are asked to ollow only one
rule: Dont judge, dont edit, just write.
Key to Icons Advice for Writers
Classes/Workshops/
Conferences
Contests
Critiques
E-newsletter/RSS
Forums
For Young Writers
Jobs
Markets
On Twitter
# First Appearance on Our List
5. Six-Word Memoirssixwordmemoirs.com
alk about instant gratication! Founded
by SMITH Magazine, Six-Word Memoirs
celebrates bite-sized vignettes o lie. Just
register (its ree) to submit:Allentries are
published on the site, with eatured sub-
missions chosen by SMITHeditors orhome-page spotlights.
6. Te Story Starterthestorystarter.com
Do you nd it easier to continue a
work-in-progress than to ace a blank
page? Enter Te Story Starter, a data-
base that randomly generates opening
lines (3 billion and counting). And or
kids, theres Story Starter, Jr. (thestorystarter.com/jr.htm).
728
WRITING ADVICE
7 A. Victoria Mixon,Editorvictoriamixon.com
Tis experienced reelance editor gener-ously offers craf tips to even nonclients
via her active blog and witter eed.
8 Anne R. Allens Blog With Ruth Harrisannerallen.blogspot.com
Prolic author Allen and ormer Big Six
editor Harris share their endless wealth
o writerly advice, tips and insight
through this blog thats updated weekly.
Find thoughtul posts on the pros and
cons o publishing traditionally versus
independently, the most common mis-
takes new writers make, and more.
9. Daily Writing ips
dailywritingtips.comSign up or the newsletter and get tips
on grammar, punctuation, word choice
and more every 24 hours, or access the
complete tip archive online.
10 Grammar Bytes!chompchomp.com
Brush up on your grammar with plenty
o advice and exercises using this un,
interactive site. Its writing instruction
with spunk.
11. Grammar Girlgrammar.quickanddirtytips.com
A staple on the 101 list, bestselling
author Mignon Fogarty tackles the
toughest o grammatical conundrums
the ones even proessionals grapple
with. Her audio podcasts and written
posts are conveniently categorized to
help you nd the answers you need.
12 How to Blog a Book
howtoblogabook.com
Want to make progress on a book
manuscript and a blog at the same
time? Nina Amir literally wrote the
book on How to Blog a Book(WD
Books), and her blog continues to
deliver resh tips on how to success-
ully do just that.
13. InkyGirl.cominkygirl.com
BEST
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http://bulwer-lytton.com/http://www.creativity-portal.com/http://www.easystreetprompts.com/http://first50.wordpress.com/http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/http://thestorystarter.com/http://thestorystarter.com/jr.htmhttp://thestorystarter.com/jr.htmhttp://victoriamixon.com/http://annerallen.blogspot.com/http://www.dailywritingtips.com/http://chompchomp.com/http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/http://howtoblogabook.com/http://www.writersdigestshop.com/how-to-blog-a-bookhttp://inkygirl.com/http://inkygirl.com/http://www.writersdigestshop.com/how-to-blog-a-bookhttp://howtoblogabook.com/http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/http://chompchomp.com/http://www.dailywritingtips.com/http://annerallen.blogspot.com/http://victoriamixon.com/http://thestorystarter.com/jr.htmhttp://thestorystarter.com/http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/http://first50.wordpress.com/http://www.easystreetprompts.com/http://www.creativity-portal.com/http://bulwer-lytton.com/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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http://writerunderground.com/http://writerunboxed.com/http://accrispin.blogspot.com/http://wow-womenonwriting.com/http://wordservewatercooler.com/http://www.writersdigestshop.com/story-engineering-paperbackhttp://storyfix.com/http://theqqqe.blogspot.com/http://pred-ed.com/http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/http://www.novelrocket.com/http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/http://blog.nathanbransford.com/http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/http://goinswriter.com/http://janefriedman.com/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/http://www.ed2010.com/http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/list/jobs/http://allfreelancewriting.com/http://redsofaliterary.com/http://www.rachellegardner.com/http://queryshark.blogspot.com/http://pubrants.blogspot.com/http://kidlit.com/http://agentcarlywatters.wordpress.com/http://www.andreahurst.com/category/blog/http://agentquery.com/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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http://www.theindependentpublishingmagazine.com/http://thecreativepenn.com/http://www.coalition-independent-authors.com/http://www.bosacks.com/http://www.wealthywebwriter.com/http://copyright.gov/http://writing.shawguides.com/http://thereviewreview.com/http://www.babynameworld.com/http://www.babynameworld.com/http://www.babynameworld.com/http://www.authormedia.com/http://www.mediabistro.com/http://marketlist.com/http://journalismjobs.com/http://journalismjobs.com/http://journalismjobs.com/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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WritersDigest.com I 43
56. Joe Wikerts Publishing2020 Blogjwikert.typepad.com
OReilly Media publisher and general
manager Joe Wikert shares experience-
based predictions on the uture o printpublishing and online media to help you
position yoursel or success.
57. Mashablemashable.com
Social media, the Web and technology
are constantly changing. Mashable pub-
lishes news on these topics daily to help
you stay with the timesand ahead o
the curve.
58.OnceWritten.com
oncewritten.com
Are you a beginning writer? Ten nd
support at OnceWritten.com, which
caters to newbies by offering writing
prompts, contests and other resources to
help you reach your publishing goals.
59. Publetariatpubletariat.com
Founded by April L. Hamilton (author
o Te Indie Author Guide,rom WD
Books), Publetariat is one o the leading
online communities and news hubs spe-
cically or sel-published authors and
small presses. Check out the Publish
section, which offers helpul articles on
getting your work out there.
60. Winning Writers
winningwriters.com
Winning Writers instantly emails you
inormation on more than 150 poetry
contests just or signing up or its ree
monthly newsletter. Optional upgrade:
A paid membership ($9.95 quarterly)
will gain you access to listings o 1,250
other writing competitions or bothpoetry and prose.
6186
GENRES/NICHES
CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT
61 Adventures in YA &Childrens Publishing
childrenspublishing.blogspot.com
In an era where suddenly everyone
seems to be writing childrens and YA,
getting your work noticed can be a chal-
lenge. Tis site rom a trio o the genres
authorsMartina Boone, Lisa Gail
Green and Jan Lewisaims to make that
journey to publication easier with postson nding an agent, landing book deals
and more.
62. Resources forChildrens Writers
resourcesforchildrenswriters.com
Author and editor Rachelle Burk
shares links to hundreds o articles
or childrens writers, covering every-
thing rom craf tips to publishing
advice to strategies or networking
with other authors.
BEST
OF
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BEST
Beyond 101:TheWriters DigestFamily of Sites
WritersDigest.com
For everything writing related, check out WDs online hub of free articles and
downloads. Make it your virtual writing home for useful craft tips, practical
career advice, creativity-sparking prompts and more.
WritersMarket.com
Along with 9,000-plus market listings updated daily, subscribers receive sub-
mission trackers, articles, industry updates and more. Annual, six-month and
monthly paid subscriptions are available.
WritersDigestUniversity.com
Get one-on-one instruction from professional authors in the comfort of your
home. WDU classes start year-round and cover everything from grammar to
novel writing to marketing.
WritersDigest.com/editor-blogsGet daily doses of writing advice direct from the WD editors. Our family of
bloggers has you covered on everything from staff-led discussions of craft and
publishing to poetry, agent news and more.
DigitalBookWorld.com
DBW offers year-round education, networking and resources, online and off,
for publishing professionals and their partners.
ScriptMag.com
Though the newest member of the WD family, Script Magazineis anything but a
newbie in the scriptwriting world. For years, its been delivering essential advice and
must-read news on craft, film festivals, how to make it in Hollywood and more.
http://jwikert.typepad.com/http://mashable.com/http://oncewritten.com/http://oncewritten.com/http://oncewritten.com/http://www.publetariat.com/http://www.writersdigestshop.com/the-indie-author-guide-paperbackhttp://www.writersdigestshop.com/the-indie-author-guide-paperbackhttp://winningwriters.com/index.phphttp://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.com/http://www.writersdigest.com/http://www.writersmarket.com/Dashboard.aspxhttp://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogshttp://digitalbookworld.com/http://www.scriptmag.com/http://www.scriptmag.com/http://digitalbookworld.com/http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogshttp://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/http://www.writersmarket.com/Dashboard.aspxhttp://www.writersdigest.com/http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.com/http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/http://winningwriters.com/index.phphttp://www.writersdigestshop.com/the-indie-author-guide-paperbackhttp://www.publetariat.com/http://oncewritten.com/http://oncewritten.com/http://oncewritten.com/http://mashable.com/http://jwikert.typepad.com/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/http://poetryoutloud.org/http://www.poetryfoundation.org/http://poems.com/http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/http://mysterywriters.org/http://www.jungleredwriters.com/http://horror.org/writetips.htmhttp://darkmarkets.com/http://www.therenegadewriter.com/http://freelancewriting.com/http://freelancewriting.com/http://freelancewriting.com/http://www.sfwa.org/http://www.scbwi.org//8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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http://www.moontowncafe.com/http://www.moontowncafe.com/http://jpicforum.info/http://critiquecircle.com/http://absolutewrite.com/http://murderby4.blogspot.com/http://thrillerwriters.org/http://seekerville.blogspot.com/http://muslimwriters.blogspot.com/http://www.christianstoryteller.com/http://thescriptlab.com/http://www.scriptdoctoreric.com/http://moviebytes.com/http://romanceuniversity.org/http://romancejunkies.com/http://www.poets.org/8/11/2019 WD 101 Best Websites 2013
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46 I WRITERS DIGEST I May/June 2013
My Ca Space account to connect with
other scribes. MoonownCae.comalso
provides ree poems, contests, workshops,
orums and blogs.
91. My Writers Circlemywriterscircle.com
My Writers Circle boasts critique orums
or prose, poetry and screenwriting.
Submit material to the Workshop or
Poets Corner sections or other writers
to give honest eedback o your work.
92. National Novel WritingMonthnanowrimo.org
Join more than 250,000 writers annu-ally and take part in the NaNoWriMo
marathon by cranking out a 50,000-
word novel in November. (Also offered:
Camp NaNoWriMo, which hosts smaller
versions o the challenge in July and
August.) Tis site helps you track your
books progress with its online word
counter, and connects you with other
participants or support.
93. Review Fusereviewfuse.com
Heres how it works: For every our cri-
tiques o others works you give, you get
three back. All reviews are done behind
the privacy o a wall that only those witha ree membership can access.
94. WritersCafe.org
writerscafe.org
Read and rate material rom ellow
writers in this ree virtual community,
then get critiques or your own work.
Forums provide a place to discuss the
craf urther.
95 Writers-Networks
writers-network.com
Poets and writers are invited to join this
ree community to share work, get eed-
back and discuss writing-related topics.
Members can also participate in contests
and live chats, and earn points (the sites
currency system, redeemable or ad
space or special contest entry ees)or reviewing others works.
96. Young Writers Online
youngwritersonline.net
Exclusively or teens and writers in their
early 20s, this orum provides a place or
young scribes to meet and discuss and
critique one anothers work.
97101
JUST FOR FUN
97. Apostrophe Abuseapostropheabuse.com
Lets ace it: Clearly not everyone is
as horried (or as entertained) by
misplaced apostrophes as writers are.
Blogger Chris Duval rounds up many
o these grammar ails or your amuse-
ment on this hilarious site.
98 Bos Caf Lifeboscafelife.wordpress.com
Need a quick laugh? Swing by Bos
Ca Lie and enjoy the daily comics
o Wayne E. Pollard, a ormer mar-keting director currently writing his
rst novel.
99 Goodreadsgoodreads.com
Breaks rom writing are well-spent
studying the craf by reading other
published work. Tis site allows you to
keep track o your reading by gener-
ating library catalogs. Youll also ndexclusive interviews with bestselling
authors and chances to partake in live
chats with them.
100. LibraryTinglibrarything.com
Log your bookshel on LibraryTing,
and receive customized book recom-
mendations. Other site perks include
the Early Reviewers program, in
which you can register to receiveadvance copies o orthcoming books
in exchange or writing a review, and
the chance to take a peek at the book-
shelves o amous authors.
101. Wordsmithwordsmith.org
Word lovers, unite! Sign up or the
A.Word.A.Day e-newsletter to increase
your vocabulary (and look like a
genius every time you play Words
With Friends). WD
BEST
OF
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BEST
BEST
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BEST
NominatingNext Years 101
Dont see one of your favorite sites
here? Wish wed add a new cat-
egory? Send your comments and
nominations for next years list to
101 Websites in the subject line
between now and Dec. 1.
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