For writers, the web can be a distracting and overloading frontier, but that doesn’t mean that it’s all cat videos and social networking. Us scribes must sift through these diversions to even catch a glimpse of the incredible resources there are out there. Hey, writing in the modern world isn’t a feat for the faint of heart.
Many of you have probably already tapped into the internet’s writing goldmine, but today I’m going to supply you with ten sites that I have found tremendously helpful. Some of them you may have heard of and even frequented, others not.
So, in no particular order, here are ten random and wonderful sites for writers.
1. WriteWorld
- Even if you don’t have a Tumblr, WriteWorld is still a fantastic site filled with all sorts of writing goodies. From words of the day and writing tips to image, sentence, and writing blocks, WriteWorld provides helpful references and lists to help stimulate the muse within all of us and dropkick the dreaded writer’s block into yesterday.
2. The Bookshelf Muse / Writers Helping Writers
- Undoubtedly, one of my most refreshed web pages during the period of writing my last book was The Emotion Thesaurus and the Physical Attribute and Character Trait Thesaurus on The Bookshelf Muse. Since then, they’ve moved to another amazing site, Writers Helping Writers. Seriously, go check them out. There’s a lot of good stuff there.
- Writers Write is another great resource, and they cover everything from character development to articles on tone and plot. One of my favorite posts of theirs is Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language.
4. The Most Epic Character Chart Ever
- Exactly what it sounds like. This expansive character chart is a great tool for fleshing out characters. The Writers Helpers is a beautiful writing blog that gives solid advice and references.
- This gem of a site supplies diverse, weird, and wonderful name combinations, for everything from characters to countries, taverns to mountains. It’s not just for fantasy, though, and even has a description generator that can supply lovely writing prompts.
- It honestly feels like this site has everything. Here’s the description from their homepage:
Chaotic Shiny is a generator site aimed at people who write, game, or live in fantasy worlds of their own creation. Grappling with writer’s block? Need a character on the fly? Party just walked into a tavern and you want it to be a little more exciting than normal? Want to flesh out a setting with some detailed religions? Chaotic Shiny is the site for you.
7. 8tracks
- I am obsessed with 8tracks. Just when I think I’ve gathered all my favorite mixes for my writing playlist, I’ll find another one that I like even more. If you’re one of those writers who absolutely must have background music playing at all times, 8tracks is what I’ve found to be one of the best places to make a mix to fit the mood. Just type “writing” into the explore section, and you’ll get thousands of playlists made by other writers. If you need somewhere to start, check out my account. As their website says,
8tracks is the best place for people who care about music to make & discover refreshingly human playlists.
8. Rainy Mood
- I’m a sworn pluviophile, and pairing Rainy Mood’s gentle rain (or raging thunderstorm) setting with music from 8tracks makes for the perfect writing atmosphere. Just my opinion.
9. Inklewriter
- Inklewriter is a wonderfully enjoyable site that allows you to write interactive “Choose Your Own Adventure” style stories. It makes for a great writing exercise and can be helpful to those of us who struggle with finding the perfect ending. I absolutely adore books where the reader makes the decisions, so Inklewriter is like a playground for me.
10. Doll Divine
- Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Doll Divine, that’s a site full of girly fashion games. What does that have to do with writing? I’m a visual person. When I create a character, I like to illustrate them in as much detail as possible, both in words and artistically. But sometimes, I want a fast way to actually see my character. Sure, Doll Divine has kitschy wedding dress up games and the like, but they also have a lot of really great generators that can be used to design your original character. Got a fantasy character? Try their Game of Thrones and LoTR doll makers. Steampunk? They’ve got games for that. Warriors? Royalty? Dragons? Make it all and more with Doll Divine.
So, there you go- ten of my favorite sites for writing. Some of them might not be that obvious, but writing is a strange craft. We can find inspiration almost anywhere, if we look hard enough. Happy writing!
Stellular Scribe 