Whether you’re new to creative writing or have been around the block a time or two, every now and again you find yourself needing a little help. As you’re scouring the internet for the right advice on how to heighten tension or develop a character, hours upon hours of valuable writing time can get eaten up before you know it, and leave you frustrated. Inspiration can wane and, as such, your story gets pushed aside. So, to hopefully make things a bit easier, and keep you motivated, here are some great websites to check out to help you along your journey as a writer!
Well-Storied
Well-Storied is a website (and podcast) geared toward helping writers with everything from the pre-writing stage to marketing. Run by writer Kristen Kieffer, it’s a haven for in-depth advice and thought-provoking questions to take your work to the next level. It also doesn’t hurt that the website is very user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing! Some great Well-Storied articles to check out are “How to Find Your Character’s Motivation” and “Three Powerful Ways to Brainstorm New Story Ideas.”
Notebook.ai
Notebook.ai is a website geared towards helping writers sort their story’s elements. Have twenty different characters and need help keeping track of their traits? Or maybe you’re writing an epic sci-fi with multiple worlds and need a place to store each detail? Well, look no further! Notebook.ai lets you store and link characters, items and locations (to name a few) to one another to keep all your story’s facets in one place. It also has an active forum so you can connect with other writers to get feedback and advice.
Writing with Color
Writing with Color is a Tumblr blog devoted to helping writers with their approach towards characters that are racially and/or ethnically different from them. What makes it such an invaluable resource is that the moderators are all people of color from a variety of backgrounds. They cover a multitude of topics from the broad to the super specific, as well as promote books written by and/or lead by a person of color. You’ll find posts such as how to correctly describe skin color, approaching micro-aggressions in your story, and writing a person of color with a mental illness and/or disability.
Absolute Write
Want a more interactive experience? Absolute Write may be just what you’re looking for! With almost 70, 000 members, ranging from novice to veteran in all genres, it’s a great place to seek out assistance. There’s a sub-forum or thread for almost every writing topic you can think of no matter the question or where you are in the process. Some great sub-forums of theirs to check out are: Bewares, Recommendations & Background Check, a place to warn others away from shady businesses and scammers, and Rejection and Dejection, a place to air out your disappointment and seek support after having your work turned down.
Eva Deverell/Lady Writers
Eva Deverell (who also runs Lady Writers) is someone whose stuff you’ve probably seen if you frequent Pinterest. For the most part, Deverell creates free and easy to use printable worksheets to help you develop your story. Want to properly brainstorm a fight scene? She’s got a worksheet for that! Need help plotting? She’s got a great way to tackle it! She’s even got a writer’s toolkit full of alternate resources and a reading list to help inspire you.
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Writing can end up being more frustrating than rewarding when you don’t have the tools you need. That’s why it’s important to have a strong resource list to refer back to when you find yourself in a jam. Hopefully these suggestions can help relieve some stress and move your story one step closer to completion!