The 23rd Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers
What began in 1999 as a way to demystify the internet and demonstrate how it could be of use for writers has gradually become one of WD’s most popular features for a much different reason. There are now so many resources available on the web that it can be intensely over-whelming (speaking from experience here) to try to find legitimate sites and businesses that aren’t trying to take advantage of folks who want to write and see their work published.
But, after sorting through a vast array of websites nominated by WD readers, sites that made the list in previous years, and websites we personally use and enjoy (sometimes multiple times a day), we present the 23rd Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers. A few notes as you peruse the list:
Although you’ll see a few entries in which a resource requires a fee for an upgrade, our aim was to focus on resources that offer significant value and aid to writers for free. This is not to say that some resources aren’t worth paying for or that you shouldn’t invest monetarily in your writing; but rather, we want you to get the knowledge you need to know when it’s appropriate to pay for services and what fees are fair or not.
Secondly, in addition to being the 101 Best Websites issue, we’ve given this issue an additional theme: Sparking Curiosity. As such, the final collection of websites are ones that we’ve personally used when we were curious about something or when we were in a dry spell and needed a little help to get curious again. You may have heard of the websites for their traditional purposes, but we hope to offer out-of-the-box ways to use them.
Whether these websites assist you in finding the answers to your questions or offer inspiration, we also hope they help you stay perpetually curious as you write.
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meansthisisthewebsite’s first appearance on the WD list. All listings within each category are alphabetically arranged.
1–6 CREATIVITY
1. Cliché Finder
Most of the time we’re trying to avoid writing clichés, but in order to avoid them, you have to know them. Search for a word or phrase to see if it’s commonly used in a cliché (or give your character a fun quirk by having them use slightly incorrect but more amusing versions).
2. Electric Literature
There’s no better way to stay creative than to read works by other creative people. Electric Lit offers essays, reading lists, short fiction, interviews, and excerpts and short stories from some of the most creative writers working today. Read it today; submit your own work tomorrow.
3. Fantasy Name Generators
With more than 1,400 random generators for everything from character names to physical descriptions to weapons, this site will give you inspiration no matter your genre.
4. Fight Write
Author and trained fighter Carla Hoch regularly teaches on the craft of writing fight scenes as well as the mechanics of fighting for writers of all genres. Her site features a free podcast, a link to her YouTube channel, and
