12+ free resources for writers
And some free ways to support each other.
You’re reading Soft Hobbies, a weekly newsletter for imperfect artists with perfectionist tendencies. I’m Auzin, a Seattle-based writer in the fiction, poetry, and tech writing spheres. To see more of my work, go here. And if you hit the heart button on this post, it will help others discover my writing and also make me super happy <3
Hi softies,
I love free stuff. I’m not an avid thrifter or diehard bargain-hunter, and I don’t amass things just for the sake of filling up my home, but something about a good free find makes me giddy with excitement. My best curbside discovery is, without a doubt, a large framed Lord of the Rings poster from 2001 that I spotted while driving several years ago. I pulled over immediately to put it in my trunk, and it’s been with me ever since.
Finding free tools, databases, and communities on the internet is infinitely harder than it was 10 or 15 years ago. Subscription models are ubiquitous and costly, articles get paywalled, writing communities have annual or monthly fees, etc. Add in the cost of residency / submission applications, and it can be so frustrating for writers — this artform is supposed to be the cheapest to engage in!
I want to share all the free writerly resources that I keep bookmarked, in hopes that some could be helpful to you too. This list doesn’t include YouTube or Substack, which are great (mostly free) resources as well. On YouTube, my favorite channels for creative inspiration are Vespertiliu, Uncomfy, and Hugo House, but please send me your favorites as well! On Substack, I highly recommend Counter Craft, Craft with Kat, and Craft Talk (check my Reading tab for more).
Free resources for writers:
Need to find a place to submit your work? Chill Subs is the newest and best kid on the block. I use them exclusively for finding places to submit, tracking my submissions, and understanding what’s going on in the current literary landscape. If you make a free account, you can even use your profile page as your author website. This team works so damn hard to give writers everything they need, it’s seriously incredible.
Want an author website? You should definitely have one if publication is important to you, and Google Sites has your back. You just need a Google Account. It’s what I use for my author website, and it’s served me well so far.
Want to clarify your writing? The Hemingway Editor is simple to use and will tell you what reading level your work is at, plus highlight any uses of passive voice or other syntactical things you may want to fix. I use this a lot when I do UX writing or marketing work, to make sure what I write is at a 7th or 8th grade level (a best practice for work that needs to be understood by the widest audience possible).
Want to try virtual coworking? Focusmate is sooo helpful if you want focus and accountability through body doubling. The website matches you with someone else for a video call. You both say hi, explain what you’re working on, and work in silence (cameras on or off) for an hour. Then you check in about how it went, and the session ends. IT’S SO GREAT LOL. There is a limit to how many free sessions you can do per week.
Is it time to get feedback on your work? Once a month, you can submit 2 pages of poetry or 10 pages of prose to Pencilhouse for detailed feedback from another writer. I haven’t used this yet, but it’s a very popular service.
Are you a visual learner who loves words? Visuwords word mapping is cool as hell. I can’t even explain it here, but go play with it and report back if you like it as much as I do.
Are you a read/write learner who loves words? So am I! ProWritingAid’s Word Explorer sparks creativity by letting you delve into any word to find definitions, synonyms, slang, examples, rhymes, quotes and more. Just type any word to get started. Great for songwriters and poets.
Need to punch through writer’s block? Start a distraction-free sprint of any length on Word Sprints. Put on an ambience video (this is my favorite), set the timer, and start typing.
Want to easily make blackout poetry? Use Blackout Poetry Maker!
Are you an amateur etymologist? Onym is an enormous open source guide that attempts to organize the best tools and resources across the web for naming things. Access multiple dictionaries, thesauruses, translators, word generators, and more. I haven’t even scratched the surface of this thing. Would be awesome for SFF writers looking for naming inspiration.
Trying to come up with powerful descriptions? I haven’t used this yet, but this database seems to be uniquely useful, although some of it is paywalled. I’ll definitely be dipping into this for character stuff in the future.
Want to start making commission on all those books you recommend to people? Become a Bookshop affiliate! I plan on doing this soon. Authors can curate their own virtual storefront (including their own work), earn 10% commission on sales, and support local bookstores in the process. Bookshop in general is really great and you should buy your books from there :)
Are you intrigued by any of these? What have I missed? Leave a comment and let me know.
We’re better together, so here are some free ways to support other writers:
Talk about their work on socials and tag them or link to their work
Offer yourself as a beta reader and provide thoughtful feedback on their drafts
Promote their stuff when they promote it — pre-orders, site traffic, and book sales are all deeply influenced by word-of-mouth (and word-of-post? haha)
Leave them excellent reviews on Goodreads, Bookshop, Thriftbooks, or wherever else you buy books
Borrow their book from the library OR ask your local library to stock their book (this is how you do that)
Send them links to submission calls/residency apps/freelance gigs that could be a good fit for them
If they have a Substack, subscribe to them and put them in your Recommended (this is how you do that)
If they use Substack Notes, engage with them on there
Forward or send their work to other people who might enjoy it
Writers do not ever tire of praise. As long as it’s genuine, hype them up as much as you can <3 One time I messaged an author on LinkedIn because I couldn’t find him anywhere else, just to tell him I was obsessed with his story lmao. He seemed to appreciate it!
I hope this was helpful! Good luck in all your creative endeavors, and thank you for your time.
Softly yours,
Auzin
These are great, thanks for sharing!
This is so useful! Thank you for taking the time to compile all this <3