Now in its 25th year, the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers aims to guide writers of all ages, genres, and skill levels to reputable and useful resources to inspire, educate, and support them in every stage of their writing journey. Whether you are using writing as a creative outlet, looking to find a path toward traditional publication, make a career as a freelancer, or start your own independent publishing business, the websites on this list can help make those goals a reality.
While some things about this list remain the same (like our goal of including sites that offer free or affordable content, free trials, or tiered memberships for services that are of high quality), this year’s list includes 28 new websites we’ve found particularly enjoyable or helpful. Plus, you’ll also find a new subsection in the Genre/Niche category: Short Fiction.
As always, we hope this list provides a springboard for all of your writing endeavors.
A
means this is the website’s first appearance on the WD list. All listings within each category are alphabetically arranged.
1–8
Creativity
1. Author Magazine
Featuring writing instruction and editor and author blogs, Author magazine is an uplifting and educational online magazine dedicated to inspiring and instructing writers of all types. Check out the “Author2Author” podcast hosted by Editor-in-Chief William Kenower.
2. Electric Literature
A nonprofit digital publisher since 2014, Electric Literature is committed to highlighting writing focused on social justice and current issues. Everything published by them is free, including essays focused on culture, writing, and books, Recommended Reading (a lit mag dedicated to the best in fiction), The Commuter (their lit mag that features a single short work every Monday), and more.
3. Fantasy Name Generators
Choosing names for your characters can be tough, so use one of the 1,400 name generators in a wide range of categories to make it easier—or to spark an idea for a new character! As an added feel-good bonus, the organizer of this site donates to reforestation projects for every 5GB of bandwidth the site uses.
4. Inkarnate
While traditionally used to create maps for fantasy and sci-fi worlds, Inkarnate isn’t genre-specific; if you need help remembering the layout of a town or even just a single building or room, you can use their free account to make beautiful maps. For a fee, you can upgrade to their Pro version—paid either monthly or yearly—for access to more designs, details, and storage.
5. Library of Congress
You don’t have to visit Washington D.C. to take advantage of the vast resources contained in the Library of Congress. Explore the digital collections for inspiration and research, or read the blogs written by LOC staff members (or occasional guests) that highlight specific finds, which might serve as a catalyst for your imagination.
6. Literary Hub
Literary Hub is a literary website with daily news, story excerpts, book reviews, and more. From craft advice to book recommendations, author interviews to reading lists, this is your one-stop-shop for intersecting contemporary life with literature.
7. Master Writer
If you’ve ever had trouble finding the precise word for the feeling you want to convey, Master Writer is a vast resource to solve your problem. Watch the demo video and sign up for the subscription service (which you can try for 90 days risk-free) that goes beyond a traditional thesaurus.
8. Terrible Minds
Terrible Minds is the blog of
