Awesome Sites and Links for Writers
Just about every writer out there has several go-to websites that they use when it comes to their writing. Be it for creativity, writerās block, to put you in the mood or general writing help. These are mine and I listed them in hopes that youāll find something that youāll like or find something useful. Iāve also included some websites that sounded interesting, but I havenāt tried out yet.
Grammar GirlĀ ā Grammar Girlās famous Quick and Dirty Tips (delivered via blog or podcast) will help you keep your creative writing error free.
The OwlĀ ā is Purdue Universityās Online Writing Lab (OWL) it'sĀ a great resourceĀ for grammar guides, style tips and other information that can help with your writing, especially academics.
Tip of My TongueĀ ā have you ever had trouble of thinking of a specific word that you canāt remember what it is? Well, this site will help you narrow down your thoughts and find that word youāve been looking for. It can be extremely frustrating when you have to stop writing because you get a stuck on a word, so this should help cut that down.Ā
Free RiceĀ ā is a great way to test yourĀ vocabularyĀ knowledge. Whatās even better about this site is that with every correct answer, theyĀ donate 10 grains of rice to theĀ United Nations World Food Program. So, please disable your adblock since they use the ads on the site to generate the money to buy the rice.
HyperGrammarĀ āĀ the University of Ottawa offers up a one-stop guide for proper spelling, structure, and punctuation on this site.
AutoCritĀ ā the AutoCrit Editing Wizard can check writing for grammar errors, clichĆ©s and other no-noās. It also provides a number of other writing resources as well.
Writerās DigestĀ āĀ learn how to improve your writing, find an agent, and even get published with the help of the varied blogs on this site.
SyntaxisĀ ā it allows you to test your knowledge of grammar with a ten-question quiz. The questions change every time you take the quiz so users are sure to be challenged each time around. ItĀ definitelyĀ helps writers know if thereās something that they need to brush up on.
Word Frequency CounterĀ āĀ this counter allows you to count the frequency usage of each word in your text.
EditMinion āĀ is a free robotic copy editor that helps you to refine your writing by finding common mistakes.
Proofreading for Common Errors ā this is aĀ simple tutorial on proofreading your writing by Indiana University.
BBC ā has a section for helping you with your skills, especially in writing, from grammar to spelling, to reading, to listening and to speaking.
CopyscapeĀ ā is aĀ free service that you can use to learn if anyone has plagiarized your work.Ā Itās pretty useful for those that want to check for fanfiction plagiarism.
Plagium ā is anotherĀ a copy detection system, that provides a very similar service to Copyscape and uses Yahoo! rather than Google to perform its searches. Just keep in mind thatĀ searches for simple text up to 25,000 characters remains free of charge, but any larger requires credits to be purchase.
Write or DieĀ ā is an application for Windows, Mac and Linux which aims to eliminate writerās block by providing consequences for procrastination.
Written? Kitten! ā is just like Write or Die, but itās a kinder version.Ā They use positive reinforcement, so every time you reach a goal they reward you with an adorable picture of a kitten.
Fast Fingers āĀ offers you an easy way to improve your typing skills. Itās puts you through a quick typing game that tests your typing speed and improves it at the same time. Itās also a great way for writers to warm up.
RefDeskĀ ā it has an enormous collection of reference materials, searchable databases and other great resources that canāt be found anywhere else. Itās great to use when you need to find something and check your facts.
Bib MeĀ ā itĀ makes it easy to create citations, build bibliographies and acknowledge other peopleās work. This isĀ definitelyĀ something that academicsĀ will love. Itās basically a bibliography generator that automatically fills in a works cited page in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turbian formats.
Internet Public LibraryĀ āĀ this online library is full of resources that are free for anyone to use, from newspaper and magazine articles to special collections.
The Library of CongressĀ āĀ if youāre looking for primary documents and information, the Library of Congress is a great place to start. It has millions of items in its archives, many of which are accessible right from the website.
Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names ā is theĀ most accurate list of popular names from 1879 to the present. If your character is from America and youĀ need a name for them, this gives you a accurate list of names, just pick the state or decade that your character is from.
WebMDĀ ā is a handy medical database loaded with information. Itās not a substitute for a doctor, but can give you a lot of good information on diseases, symptoms, treatments, etc.
MedlinePlusĀ ā isĀ the National Institutes of Healthās Web site that contains informationĀ about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. It also offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.Ā You can use the site to learn about the latest treatments, look up information on a drug or supplement, find out the meanings of words, or view medical videos or illustrations. You can also get links to the latest medical research on your topic or find out about clinical trials on a disease or condition.
Mayo Clinic āĀ is a nonprofit medical practice and medical research group.
World Health Organization (WHO) āĀ is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and ageing; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking.
Google Scholar ā is an online, freely accessible search engine that lets users look for both physical and digital copies of articles. It searches a wide variety of sources, including academic publishers, universities, and preprint depositories and so on.Ā While Google Scholar does search for print and online scholarly information, it is important to understand that the resource is not a database.
The Old Farmerās AlmanacĀ āĀ this classic almanac offers yearly information on astronomical events, weather conditions and forecasts, recipes, and gardening tips.
State Health FactsĀ āĀ Kaiser Family Foundation provides this database, full of health facts on a state-by-state basis that address everything from medicare to womenās health.
U.S. Census BureauĀ ā you can learn more about the trends and demographics of America with information drawn from the Census Bureauās online site.
WikipediaĀ āĀ thisĀ shouldnāt be used as your sole source, but it can be a great way to get basic information and find out where to look for additional references.
Finding Data on the Internet ā a great website that list links that can tell youĀ where you can find the inflation rate, crime statistics, and other data.
RhymeZoneĀ āĀ whether youāre writing poetry, songs, or something else entirely, you can get help rhyming words with this site.
Acronym FinderĀ āĀ with more than 565,000 human-edited entries, Acronym Finder is the worldās largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initials.
Symbols.comĀ ā is aĀ unique online encyclopedia that contains everything about symbols, signs, flags and glyphs arranged by categories such as culture, country, religion, and more.Ā
OneLook Reverse Dictionary ā is aĀ dictionary that lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word.Ā
The Alternative DictionariesĀ ā is a site that you can look up slang words in all types of languages, including Egyptian Arabic, Cherokee, Cantonese, Norwegian and many, many others.
Online Etymology DictionaryĀ ā it gives you the history and derivation of any word.Ā Etymologies are not definitions; theyāre explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago.
MediLexiconĀ āĀ is a comprehensive dictionary of medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and health care abbreviations and acronyms.
Merriam Webster OnlineĀ ā the online version of the classic dictionary also provides a thesaurus and a medical dictionary.
Multilingual DictionaryĀ ā it translate whatever you need from 30 different languages with this easy-to-use site.
Open OfficeĀ ā why pay for Microsoft products when you can create free documents with Open Office? This open source software provides similar tools to the Microsoft Office Suite, including spreadsheets, a word processor, the ability to create multimedia presentations, and more.
LibreOffice āĀ is a free and open source office suite. It was forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010, which was an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice.Ā The LibreOffice suite comprises programs to do word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams and drawings, maintain databases, and compose mathĀ formula.
ScrivenerĀ ā is not a free program, but itās certainly a veryĀ popular one. It'sĀ great for organizing research, planning drafts, and writing novels, articles, short stories, and even screenplays.
OmmWriter āĀ is for Mac OS X,Ā a free simple text processor that gives you a distraction freeĀ environment. So you can focus only on your writing without being tempted or distracted by other programs on your computer. They areĀ currently working on a Windows version of their software as well, so keep an eye out for that if youāre interested.
FocusWriter ā is another free distraction-free writing application that keeps your writing space simple and clean without sacrificing functionality.Ā It includes a daily goal trackerāwork count and time spent writingāspell checking, real-time feedback on variables like word and page count, and tabbed document browsing. The great thing about this is that it'sĀ availableĀ forĀ Windows, Mac and Linux.
Q10 ā is a free portable distraction-free writing tool for Windows. The interface includes nothing but a tiny bar at the bottom that displays the character, word, and page countāyou can toggle the bar off for a totally distraction free workspace.Ā
Evernote āĀ is a free app for your smartphone and computer that stores everything you could possibly imagine losing track of, like a boarding pass, receipt, article you want to read, to do list, or even a simple typed note. The app works brilliantly, keeping everything in sync between your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Itās definitely a useful app for writers when you have ideas on the go.
StorybookĀ ā this open source software can make it easier to manage your plotlines, characters, data, and other critical information while penning a novel.
ScriptBuddy āĀ is a full-fledged screenplay software program. It handles the proper screenplay format automatically, so you can concentrate on your story. It is easy to use and theĀ basic version is free.
TheSageĀ ā isĀ a freeĀ application, which is aĀ comprehensive English dictionary and thesaurus that provides a number of useful and in some cases unusual search tools.
SigilĀ ā is ideal for e-book authors because it'sĀ a free EPUB editor with a stack of essential features.
YWriter5Ā ā is a freeĀ word processorĀ and isĀ designed for Windows XP, Vista and beyond. It'sĀ a small but very comprehensive tool which helps you to plan your novel. ItĀ breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping youĀ keep track of your workĀ while leaving your mind free to create.Ā You can set up deadlines, for instance, and the programās Work Schedule report will let you know how much youāll have to do, each day, to finish on time. You can even enter your characters, locations and items and freely organize them into scenes.Ā ThisĀ definitelyĀ sounds like itāll be useful for NaNoWriMoĀ writers.
Kingsoft Office (WPS Office)Ā āĀ is an office suite for Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS and Android OS.Ā The basic version is free to use,Ā but a fully featured professional-grade version is also available.Ā This software allows users to view, create and share office documents that are fully compatible with dozens of document formats, including MicrosoftĀ PowerPoint, Word and Excel. In other words, the format is similar to a Microsoft Word document (.DOC or .DOCX file) and supports formatted text, images, and advanced page formatting. Kingsoft Writer documents can be converted to Microsoft Word *.doc files in the software.
Creativity, Fun &Ā Miscellaneous
National Novel Writing Month ā is one of the most well-known writing challenges in the writing community, National Novel Writing Month pushes you to write 50,000 words in 30 days (for the whole month of November).
WritingFix ā aĀ fun site that creates writing prompts on the spot. The site currently has several optionsāprompts for right-brained people, for left-brained people, for kidsāand is working to add prompts on classic literature, music and more.
Creative Writing Prompts ā the site is exactly what it says. They have 100+ and more, of prompts that you can choose from.
My FontsĀ ā isĀ the worldās largest collection of fonts. You can even upload an image containing a font that you like, and this tells you what it is.
Story Starters ā thisĀ website offers over one trillion randomly generated story starters for creative writers.
The Gutenberg ProjectĀ ā this site is perfect for those who like to read and/or have an ereader. Thereās over 33,000 ebooks you can download for free.Ā
The Imagination Prompt GeneratorĀ āĀ click through the prompts to generate different ideas in response to questions like āIs there a God?ā and āIf your tears could speak to you, what would they say?ā
The Phrase FinderĀ ā this handy site helps you hunt down famous phrases, along with their origins. It also offers a phrase thesaurus that can help you create headlines, lyrics, and much more.
StorybirdĀ ā this site allows you to write a picture book. They provided the gorgeous artwork and you create the story for it, or just read the stories that others have created.
Language Is a VirusĀ ā the automatic prompt generator on this site can provide writers with an endless number of creative writing prompts. Other resources include writing exercises and information on dozens of different authors.
SimplyNoise ā a free white noise sounds that you can use to drown out everything around you and help you focus on yourĀ writing.
Rainy Mood ā from the same founders of Simply Noise, this website offers the pleasant sound ofĀ rain and thunderstorms. There'sĀ a slide volume control, which you can increase the intensity of the noise (gentle shower to heavy storm), thunder mode (often, few, rare), oscillation button, and a sleep timer.Ā
Coffitivity ā aĀ site that provides three background noises: Morning Murmur (a gentle hum), Lunchtime Lounge (bustling chatter), and University Undertones (campus cafe). A pause button is provided whenever you need a bladder break, and a sliding volume control to give you the freedom to find the perfect level for your needs and moods. Itās also available as anĀ androidĀ app, iOS app, and for Mac desktop.
Rainy Cafe āĀ it provides background chatter in coffee shops (similar to Coffitivity) AND the sound of rain (similar to Simply Rain). Thereās also individual volume and on/off control for each sound category.
MyNoise:Ā Online Fire Noise GeneratorĀ ā If you love the sound of fire crackling in a fireplace, this is theĀ siteĀ for you.
8tracks āĀ is an internet radioĀ website and everyone can listen for free, well it use to be completely free.Ā Unlike other music oriented social network such as Pandora or Spotify, 8tracks doesnāt have commercial interruption (thatās if you get 8tracks Plus).Ā Users create free accounts and can either browse the site and listen to other user-created mixes for as long as they like, and/or they can create their own mixes. Itās a perfect place to listen to other writerās playlist, share yours or find musicĀ for specific characters or moods. Note: Joining is still free, however youāre now limited to 1 hour of free listening for each week (or more depending on how much people like your mixes). If you want unlimited access itās $30 per year or $5.00 a month.
Playmoss āĀ with 8tracks no longer having free unlimited listening and no commercial interruptions many people looked for an alternative and Playmoss is what 8tracks use to be.Ā It has all the same basic features that 8tracks has, only with extra goodies like unlimited skips, able to see the entire tracklist before playing, start at any point in the playlist,Ā see how many playlists contain a certain song and evenĀ collaborate playlists with other people.
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