Free Online Resources for Writers

If you are just starting out or have been writing for awhile and are on a tight budget, there are many freebies, both online and offline, for writers. This post is about free online resources. Webinars, e-books, email lists, conferences, clubs, writing challenges, classes, blogs, and articles, are examples of what you will find. Some of these I have used, subscribed to, or attended. This list does not include every freebie available to writers. It’s merely a sampling to give you an idea of what is out there. I recommend you use your own judgment before subscribing or downloading. The majority of what I have utilized has been very helpful.

Conferences

I have mentioned these two conferences in past posts.Write On Con will be held August 13 and 14,  http://writeoncon.com/. The Muse Online Writers Conference is scheduled for October 7 – 1, http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/. Instructors for both events are professionals such as authors, agents, and editors.

Writing Challenges

Earlier this summer, I signed up for the "100 Days of Summer Writing Prompt Challenge." From Memorial Day to Labor Day, participants write every day, using a prompt provided by the creator of this challenge,  http://www.shannonabercrombie.com/100-days-of-summer/.

These two events are held every November. There are also prizes. Most writers have heard of National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, http://nanowrimo.org/. Picture Book Idea Month or PiBoIdMo, is a little different. This involves creating a picture book idea every day in November. Start checking in late October for more information, http://taralazar.com/piboidmo/.  

Classes

There are many classes, writing and otherwise, that are offered by a variety of entities. Also check out your local public library. They might offer online classes through a community college or other school, organization or business. The following resources might be worth investigating.

Goodwill Community Foundation has a website for free online classes. These cover many subjects and topics, including software programs and social media, http://www.gcflearnfree.org/topics. Additional sources for education are http://academicearth.org/, https://www.udacity.com/, http://redhoop.com/, and https://www.coursera.org/.

Magazines

It’s not free to subscribe to these publications, but they do have free content, such as blogs, articles, downloads and webinars. The Writer and Writer’s Digest are two of the main magazines in this field, http://www.writermag.com/ and  http://www.writersdigest.com/. 

Email lists  

Subscribers of email lists will receive countless ideas and advice to help improve skills.Writers may also find e-books, webinars, and other freebies.You can sign up to get a writing tip each day from Daily Writing Tips, http://www.dailywritingtips.com/. Do It Yourself MFA, http://diymfa.com/, has writing prompts. Karen Cioffi's, The Writing World, http://thewritingworld.com/, offers webinars and e-books.

Clubs

The Working Writers Club, http://www.workingwritersclub.com/ is free to join. Members have access to a variety of articles, audios and other resources.

Blogs

There are many blogs about writing, including Writers on the Move of course!  Two more are Sharing With Writers, http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/ and On the Write Track, http://donasdays.blogspot.com/2013/07/writerly-wisdom-wednesday-donna-l-martin.html. This particular page contains a list of additional freebies.

There are many other free resources for writers online. Ask around, do your own research, and choose which ones are best for you. And feel free to add your own finds in the comments section below. Happy hunting!

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is working on her first children’s book.