These grammar and editing resources are perfect for looking over your work. Some have browser extension and desktop options, and some allow you to input your writing directly into their website for review.
Although the majority of Grammarly’s resources require a subscription, they do have a free option that offers spell check and some structural suggestions as well. It has been an absolute lifesaver for me with my writing, and the free version is more than worth it!
Plus, it’s a browser extension, so it’s super easy to download and have with you wherever you may find yourself writing.
The Hemingway Editor is easy to use and best for assessing the clarity and readability of your text. All you have to do is paste your writing into the website and you’ll get a set of suggestions on how to improve readability and grammar.
It’s amazing and absolutely free, but it does include a downloadable version for $20 if you do decide to splurge.
Unlike Grammarly and Hemingway Editor, Power Thesaurus doesn’t help spell checking. This website helps out with word choice while editing. If you need a different word for something since the current one doesn’t fit right, you can type it into the search bar in Power Thesaurus.
Power Thesaurus will give you 200+ words for it, and you can scroll until you find one that works. It’ll give you synonyms, antonyms, definitions, use it in a sentence, and more. The best part: it’s free! Unlimited uses for a ton of different words to use in your writing.
These free online research resources are perfect for when you come across a topic you know nothing about. There’s always Wikipedia, but I still recommend checking out these options as well. Some have additional tools and some contain way more information than a Wikipedia article does.
As the name might suggest, Statista is all about statistics. From weather, to popular destination spots, and even the total fees paid to medieval knights, and more.
Statista is free to use, and it has unlimited uses. It does have an expensive paywall where you can get thousands of more sources, data, and access. The free version however, still gives a lot of results, and can get the job done.
Google Scholar will allow you to research anything and find plenty of reliable sources. Depending on what you are researching, some results may require purchase (such as books) but many, such as PDFs, do not.
Whether you’re researching medieval history or economics, this resource is great for writers who want to really go in-depth with whatever they may be writing about. It’s free to sign up, and you get access to millions of papers!
The resources listed above could be a bit of a rabbithole – or literally thousands of rabbitholes! – so use with caution.
It’s not fun sitting with a finished piece of writing in front of you and having no idea where to start with the publishing process. If you’re familiar with that feeling, then you’re in luck—these free online resources for writers are the perfect place to begin your publishing journey.
There’s information about whether or not you should start with self-publishing or traditional publishing, how to find the right publisher for you, and even some great lists of publishers who are accepting manuscripts!
Here’s another writing community that has a great collection of publishing resources. From a comprehensive list of book publishers in multiple countries to a list of literary agents also in various countries,
Reedsy is a phenomenal resource for writers. The best part? These lists (and other tools) are completely free to access!
Draft2Digital (D2D) is nearly 100% free. The only fee you have to pay is $25 for having to make changes to the book after beginning the process – and you might not even have to pay it! D2D also takes 10% revenue of your sale. There is no startup fee.
You can publish audiobooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, and through Amazon. And they let you publish anywhere you’d like. Many reviewers rave about how easy it is, but some have commented on their struggles and frustrations. It’s all about how easy you find it to problem-solve.
Kindle Direct Publishing is perfect for writers who are ready to be published and want to take the self-publishing route. It doesn’t cost any additional money once you’ve got your book ready to go.
All you need is an Amazon account and you’re good to go. This is a great free resource if you’re ready to put your work out into the world.
Writing communities are some of the best free resources for writers. Not only do they provide a great deal of information about how to optimize your writing life, but they are excellent platforms for providing resources just like the ones listed here.
Writers in communities tend to share ideas and resources that have worked for them, so you’ll probably learn more the longer you’re engaged. Some communities do include a paid membership, so for the sake of this blog post, I’m considering “communities” to be platforms with a significant amount of informative resources for writers and either a Facebook page or group where you can engage with them and other writers.
Writer’s Digest is a phenomenal community that has plenty of free articles and downloads for writers. From learning more about fiction to learning more about poetry, this resource has so much to offer!
I personally recommend the Be Inspired section of the website. It has great prompts and tools to get you motivated! The Facebook page is also updated regularly with announcements on writing resources.
This community is one of six communities by selfpublishing.com and contains amazing educational guides and blog posts for writers. It has some great free resources like e-books and articles and there’s a Facebook group you can join as well, to interact with other writers.
Reddit is one of the more underrated writing communities. This website can be used to discuss an abundance of topics. Writing, and all of its types, is one of these topics. From r/worldbuilding, r/selfpublish, r/books, and many more, Reddit has a lot of subreddits with a lot of different topics to ask questions in. And you can get and give advice to and from established or up-and-coming writers.
All of the above resources and tools are free and ready to use in their unique ways. We hope these resources are helpful for you at the different stages of your writing journey!
– This post was updated by Matthew Sgabellone
POWERED BY: 
CONNECTED
Grab the Planner and a cup of coffee or tea. Give it a quick read and learn how to think about and plan your week like a productive writer. (Yep, this resource is totally FREE!)
