Integral websites for every writer

An index of websites relevant to writers practice, development and enjoyment.

This curated list was a labour of love, originating from a Reddit post in which the community bounced back many a suggestion. From this, I have pit together a list of websites that are incredibly valuable and important for a writer's development, in many facets. There is some crossover with what these websites and publications offer, because many of the disciplines and interests in writing will be of same/similar ilk. The purpose is to give you a quality index of writing aids and plenty of it because a writer who is serious about their craft, will know that they need to be tuned into more than one station. I hope this article propels your writing into new and exciting places.

Writing habits

·      Write phobia- the app that holds you accountable. Set your writing goals and if you miss them, the app charges you $1. The obvious idea is to get you into regular, routine writing practice and help you to become a disciplined writer.

·      The Grinder- the submission grinder is a free tool to quickly search for lit mags by genre, payment and length. It’s a really useful tool to keep on top of all the open submissions in one place.

·      Novella app- The most considered notepad I’ve seen, with built in stylistic features like Freytag’s Pyramid or Vladimir Propp’s character theory. A great place to draft and save your work.

All encompassing

There is some similarity among these literary geared sites in that they all have courses, blogs, forms of coaching, submission opportunities, etc, so you might find that ‘X’ over ‘Y’ is better suited to you. Better to have more to begin with and filter down, or simply keep in the loop with all of them- your choice entirely.

·      National Centre for Writing

·      International Writers Collective

·      The Writing Cooperative

·      Spread the Word

·      The Write Life

·      Writer’s Digest

·      Writers helping writers

·      Writing forward

·      Writer’s relief

·      Funds for Writers

·      Poets and Writers

·      Word factory

·      The Rumpus

·      Catapult

·      Paris Review

Editing

·      Pro Writing Aid- grammar and style checking with reports to strengthen your writing.

·      Hemingway app- the app highlights the different functions in your sentences and keeps tracks of errors. Arguably, perhaps more visually engaging than some of its competitors.

·      Slick Write- an editing tool that meticulously proofreads your work.

·      Beta Books- a helpful way to share your manuscript and get feedback where it’s also saved so you can revisit feedback whenever you need to.

·      Storyplanner- Almost like having your own editor that takes you through each stage of your story; in-depth planning to really set the writer off.

Visual inspiration/prompt

·      Atlas Obscura- Global gallery meets Lonely Planet. Great for viewing all sorts of places anywhere in the world. If setting, environment or atmosphere is an area you are working on then this is a really useful tool.

·      Writing prompts- slot machine word prompt, comparatively more fun than other writing prompts.

Learning

·      School of Life- interesting organisation that wades through the philosophy of life and is ideal to get your cogs turning and feel inspired by the texture of life, to weave into the fabric of your own story.

·      Lit Hub- Incredibly informative and so much to learn. It somehow feels like a beautifully bound book, and not just a website about writing.

·      Masterclass- Incredible courses from experts; invaluable.

·      Skillshare- Similar concept to Masterclass with thousands of courses to peak your interests and feed into your personal and professional development.

Submissions (fiction)

* researching literary magazines (again) became quite overwhelming because of its sheer volume. There are hundreds. Whilst I confidently suggest the below, they are not where it ends. There may be some that you get more from and relish visiting each time, so stick with those, but branch out because you can easily come across a publication you weren’t aware of that hosts an appealing competition and interesting content. You sort of go through revolving doors with literary magazines. You can’t apply to all the submission opportunities all the time, as much as we would like to, so bookmark the ones you like and regularly check in for interesting reads, submission opportunities, and competitions.

**it’s a good idea to follow your favourites on Instagram and then see who they follow to find new/other publications.

·      Bridport- a classic

·      Split Lip Magazine- hybrid of writing and art

·      Storgy- short story focus

·      Swoop- creative writing competitions

·      Ambit- stories, artwork, poems

·      Narratively- human-centric storytelling

·      Adroit journal- the future of poetry, prose and art

·      Lighthouse- short fiction and poetry

·      White Review- reputation for invocative fiction and poetry

·      Longreads- narrative-driven memoir

·      Solstice- diverse voices and the full spectrum of human experiences

·      UK literary magazines- Neon shares a list of UK literary magazines, dive in

Just beautiful things organisations are doing in the name of poetry and performance:

·      Poetry bringing people together

·      The power of writing communities

·      The masthead of poetry initiatives (maybe)

·      Inclusive, creative and innovative

·      Risk taking publications and performances