All The Writers Resources You Want Under One Roof
Name: Writing.com
Website: http://www.writing.com/
Price: Free and Paid from $19.95 a year
Owners: Community Owned
Overall Rank: 96 out of 100
A Simple Introduction To Writing.com
I constantly recommend Writing.com to every budding writer I know, especially writers starting out, starting to learn the trade, be it novel writing, poetry, essay writing, non-fiction, journalism and on and on, the resources, tools, information, and community within this website is so vast it will blow you away.
Writing.com is basically an online community of writers of all interest and levels, actually, over a million members now, and has been online since 2000 and set up by a husband and wife team. The website provides excellent creative environments for authors, tons of tools and tutorials, the ability to share content, to receive and give valuable critique, to build and store your portfolio privately or publicly. A fun and very creative community that makes it the largest and leading online writing website today.
I’m a member of Writing.com nearly 5 years now, and finding this site back then certainty set me on the path to be a better writer. The best thing about WDC is that it is free to join up. This gives you access to all the tools, but you can only have 10 items in your portfolio, and unlimited when you are a paying member which is pittance at $47 a year, but you do not need this.
Pros & The Cons
Pros
- Free online writing portfolio,
- Receive valuable feedback
- Privately store your work
- Easy way to share your work
- Countless contests and activities,
- Numerous writing tools,
- Full email services,
- Meet and bond with fresh, creative minds just like you!
- Interactive Stories
Cons
- Not many. If you set your writing, say a poem, publicly, then this is classed as published and would not be accepted elsewhere online. But there are privacy settings which fix this.
- Only 10 portfolio items for the free membership. This may be a problem for prolific writers.
So, Who Is WC For?
The best thing about Writing.com is that it really is for everyone. From children to elderly, to the novice, and the famous. There are resources fit for every stage of a writer. There are children’s sections with competitions and writing prompts. Tutorials, writing prompts and newsletters to help you improve your writing, to teach you proper technique etc. or about different types and forms of writing, the list goes on, and all this is for free, well worth it to join up.
What Tools Are Available?
An insane amount of tools are available within the site. These include
- Notepad
- Access Restrictions
- Revision Control System (RCS)
- Item Statistics
- Submission Tracking System
- Blog Tab
- Stats & Info
- WritingML
- Advertising Published Works
- Writing Contests
- Create/Edit a Book
- Create/Edit Audio
- Create/Edit a Document
- Create/Edit a Folder
- Create/Edit a Photo Album
- Create/Edit a Product Review
- Create/Edit a Shop
- Create/Edit a Survey Form
- Create/Edit a Web Page
- Create/Edit a Word Search
- Create Covers
- Chat Room
- Forum
- Portfolio Export
- Suggestion box
- Writing Prompts
- Browser Toolbars
- Tons More
And What About The Community?
There is as of today, 1,013,649 members, that is one hell of a community. But, the way the community is set up is what makes it unique and brilliant. The more active and better you become, the more you climb the ladder. Also, the community is split into groups such as Preferred Authors and Moderators who assist staff in answering questions, welcoming new members, and providing feedback and suggestions for the community.
There is also a gift point system in place. This means each time you review somebodies work, each time you enter and come 1st or 4th in a competition (and there are tons) you earn Gift Points. These tend to start to add up, and with these Gift Points, you can use as currency for everything from rewards for reviewing to purchasing items and memberships from the online shop.
Members also offer services to one another in exchange for Gift Points, which range from editing services to in-depth and lengthy reviews to signature image creation to member-hosted contests. The use of these points is endless, another reason why WDC is very unique and amazing.
The community is mostly supportive and the feedback for your work can be outstanding, even harsh, but the feedback is generally to help improve the work/piece you are working on.
Is there An Actual Price?
There are 5 types of memberships and these are as follows.
Free Membership Limited, provides the basic tools and features, allowing anyone to join in and benefit.
Basic Membership ($19.95 per year) Entry level membership adds more storage space.
Upgraded Membership ($49.95 per year) This is the membership I use and find it suits my needs. Well-rounded level, adds even more storage space and the ability to create many different item types including books, images, groups, and surveys; the usual choice for casual members and those just getting started!
Premium Membership ($139.95 per year) Feature-rich level with all the bells and whistles allowing members to get the most out of Writing.Com. This is the WDC recommended level of paid membership for those looking to get “the most bang for your buck”!
Premium Plus Membership ($419.95 per year) Premium membership plus web hosting and community features!
==) Read More In Detail About Each membership Here (==
My Final Opinion and Advice
If you have kids interested in writing, short stories/poetry etc. I highly recommend getting a free account with WDC for them. It will most definitely help improve their talent, skill, technique, plus the site is a whole lot of fun with a very supportive helpful community.
I also recommend checking it out for budding and professional writers. The resources, benefits are rewarding, with so much to do, and so so much excellent reading, you will be blown away by the talent, discover new amazing writers of all levels and ages, plus the ability to share your own work and improve on it, plus it is free to start.
There are also different membership packages for the writer who wants to become a more prominent member and use the more professional tools. All in all its win win win.
Summary
Name: Writing.com
Website: http://www.writing.com/
Price: Free and Paid from $19.95 a year
Owners: Community Owned
Overall Rank: 96 out of 100
Verdict: Best Place Online for writers
If you would like to leave a personal review or experience of WDC or even a comment please leave below and let’s start a good conversation.