creative writing authors

Finding the Best Creative Writing Blogs on the Internet

Regardless how many books I’ve written or sold, if I’m not still educating myself about writing, I’m stagnating.

My late mother taught me the value of life-long learning. Not only was she a piano teacher into her eighties, but she was also a piano student. 

One of the most powerful learning tools today is the internet. But you could surf through endless writing blogs before finally finding which are the best for you and worthy of your time. 

So I asked my team to research what’s out there, and we’ve compiled a short list to get you started. But you also know how to search by specifying genres and areas of interest, so don’t stop here. Our list is by no means exhaustive, and I haven’t even included all the ones I enjoy. 

Here, then, are just suggestions of a few blogs you might want to check out to start your own list of writing resources —and we list them in alphabetical order:

• Become a Writer Today

Through his blog Become a Writer Today , Bryan Collins focuses on the needs of new writers. 

A non-fiction writer, blogger, and podcaster, Bryan writes on those genres, as well as on self-publishing . He’s written two 3-book series, “Become a Better Writer Today” and “The Power of Creativity.” 

A team of writers cover the business side of writing and such topics as writer’s block , formatting, and best practices. 

• The Creative Penn

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, Joanna Penn is behind The Creative Penn . 

She also writes books for writers—her 21 titles have sold more than a half million copies. She’s a speaker, an entrepreneur, runs Curl Up Press, and has been named one of the top 100 Creative Professionals in the UK. 

Joanna’s blog focuses on self-publishing, marketing, and writing. The Creative Penn podcast offers more than 350 episodes on writing.

• Creative Writing Now

Founded by writing teacher Nancy Strauss, Creative Writing Now offers courses, tips , prompts, and information on writing contests. Writing teachers will find lesson plans as well.  

DIY MFA serves as a do-it-yourself manual for the equivalent of a Master of Fine Arts in writing without the expense. It centers on writing with focus, reading with purpose, building your writing community, and how to discover the writing tools available online and off.

Founded by author and podcaster Gabriela Pereira, the site posts on everything from playwriting to surviving rejection, travel writing, and many other writing topics. She offers a “ writer igniter ” that generates writing prompts. 

• Jane Friedman

A must read for writers and publishers, blogger Jane Friedman is one of the leading voices in the digital age of publishing.

She has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, publishes The Hot Sheet (a newsletter for authors), is a columnist for Publishers Weekly , a professor with The Great Courses ( How to Publish Your Book ), and wrote The Business of Being a Writer . 

Jane’s blog offers how-to’s on publishing, writing a book proposal , finding a literary agent , and many other such topics. 

• Helping Writers Become Authors

Through her website Helping Writers Become Authors , K.M. Weiland has published more than 1,200 blog posts educating writers on the ins and outs and dos and don’ts of writing and publishing. 

She offers a bi-monthly e-letter, a podcast, and a vlog. She writes historical and speculative fiction, as well as how-to books, including Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel .

• Live Write Thrive

Novelist, copyeditor, and writing coach C.S. Lakin  created Live Write Thrive to help write your novel with posts like “ The Challenges of Believability in Writing Science Fiction ” and “ The 3 Ways to Show Emotion in Your Characters .” 

Bridget and Brendan McNulty and Dagmar Timler co-founded Now Novel , a platform designed to help you craft your story . 

The blog offers information for writers at every stage, a character writing hub, productivity tips, and help creating fantasy worlds. 

• Pro Writing Aid

Pro Writing Aid is a desktop app you can use with programs like Scrivener , Word, and Google Docs. It catches grammar errors, suggests style changes, and even checks your work for plagiarism.

Their blog covers which writing apps are best, the writing process, blogging and content writing, grammar rules , and business writing. 

• Write It Sideways

Founded by Suzannah Windsor, Write It Sideways is for aspiring and emerging writers . 

A team of writers answers questions budding writers ask, and blogs on things like writer’s intuition,“Confessions of a Writing Group Virgin,” and “Here’s the Type of Hate Mail Bloggers Get.” 

• Writers Helping Writers

Authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi created Writers Helping Writers for new writers, seasoned writers, editors, and writing teachers. The blog offers advice on technique and strategy, as well as “Navigating the Changing Face of Book Promotion with Smart, Effective Strategies” and “ How To Stop Self-Doubt From Holding You Back From Writing .” 

• The Write Practice

Joe Bunting started The Write Practice to help writers become better through practice. 

He offers writing prompts and provides a platform for fellow writers to offer feedback on what you’ve written. 

And of course you’re always welcome to visit me at JerryJenkins.com .

Over the last half century I’ve been an editor, a publisher, a nonfiction author, and a novelist—yet I’m still learning and growing like you. I offer a 20-Step Guide on How to Write a Book , How to Develop a Great Story Idea , Find the Right Writers Group and How to Write Dialogue . 

• Time to Get to Work

The best mentoring comes from seasoned writers proven in their fields. So dive into these blog sites and commit to life-long learning. 

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The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

Hello, Creative.

I'm Joanna Penn, and through my books, podcast and community, I'll share my lessons learned on how to write, publish and market your book — and make a living with your writing.

I'm an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 40 books across multiple genres, with over a million sold across 176 countries and 5 languages.

I'm a podcaster, international speaker, and award-winning creative entrepreneur.

But it hasn't always been this way!

I've made many mistakes on the author journey, and I share everything on this site so you can save time, money, and heartache on your path.

Get started right now with your free Author Blueprint

Tips and resources on writing, publishing, book marketing, and making a living with your writing.

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My list of the best writing and editing, publishing and marketing software for writers, plus in-depth tutorials on how to use them.

Listen to The Creative Penn Podcast every Monday for information and inspiration on writing, publishing, book marketing and making a living with your writing.

Subscribe in your favorite podcast app, or check out the backlist.

Check out my Books and Audiobooks for Writers

Including How to Make a Living with Your Writing , How to Market a Book , Successful Self-Publishing , How to Write Non-Fiction , and many more.

Get started right now!

This site has hundreds of articles, audio podcast episodes, videos and resources. To help you get started with the most useful content for your author journey, go straight to Start Here!

Love thrillers, dark fantasy, crime, horror, or short stories?

Check out my fiction and travel memoir as J.F. Penn

Creative Clarity: Focus, Self-Care, And A Little Bit Of Tough Love

Continue Reading Creative Clarity: Focus, Self-Care, And A Little Bit Of Tough Love

Book Proposals, Writing Non-Fiction, And Supercommunicators With Charles Duhigg

Continue Reading Book Proposals, Writing Non-Fiction, And Supercommunicators With Charles Duhigg

Building A Business Ecosystem Around Non-Fiction Books With Michael Bungay Stanier

Continue Reading Building A Business Ecosystem Around Non-Fiction Books With Michael Bungay Stanier

Writing The Other And Self-Publishing in South Africa With Ashling McCarthy

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• Writing & Editing

7 Top Writing Blogs That Every Writer Should Follow

If you want to write professionally, you should know that it is completely different than amateur writing. When you write as an amateur, you have a larger margin of error.

However, if you are writing professionally, you should be aware that your work will be displayed to the public. This means that any errors you make will be scrutinized and may have an impact on your reputation as a writer.

So, it is imperative that you gain as much knowledge as possible before you show off your work to the public. One of the best ways to do this is to read great content from creative writing blogs.

These blogs are designed specifically for writers and contain well-crafted content that will greatly improve your writing skills. So, before you begin your professional writing career, you should be aware of the best writing blogs to get advice from.

Here are the top writing blogs that every writer should follow:

1.  The Creative Penn

The Creative Penn is one of the world's most comprehensive writing blogs. Joanna Penn, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, was the first to establish it. She has decades of writing experience, and her blog is chock-full of useful information about self-publishing, book marketing, and writing in general.

What distinguishes The Creative Penn from other writing blogs is that it not only has great articles, but also a podcast and audio about writing. Overall, The blog is a fantastic and multifaceted blog that will assist you in your book publishing journey.

2.  Jane Friedman

The Jane Friedman blog is a fantastic source of publishing and writing advice for both new and experienced writers. Jane Friedman, a veteran author with over 20 years of experience who has worked with various literary organizations over the years, founded the blog.

The content in this blog is all top-quality, and is meant to help writers improve in various facets of the writer’s journey. Whether you are thinking of publishing a book traditionally, or trying your hand at self-publishing, the Jane Friedman blog is a great resource.

3.  Helping Writers Become Authors

Helping Writers Become Authors is a fantastic resource for learning how to create great literary works. The blog was created by K.M. Weiland.

The blog is mostly made up of detailed writing tips. These writing lessons are available in a variety of formats, including articles, vlogs, and podcasts.

The articles cover everything from story structure to character creation techniques. Overall, Helping Writers Become Authors is an excellent writing resource for all writers.

4.  The Write Life

The Write Life is unique amongst writing blogs because, aside from giving great writing tips, it is a potent resource for freelance writers. Aside from teaching writers how to write properly, the site also offers detailed tips on how to earn money as a freelance writer.

It also covers various aspects of writing life, such as learning how to blog properly, book marketing, using SEO properly, and, of course, publishing a book of your very own.

The blog also offers practical content that will help writers hone their craft , and achieve a more versatile skill set in the process. The main appeal of The Write Life blog is that it teaches writers not only how to improve their writing skills but also how to make writing a viable profession.

It can be difficult to earn money as a writer, and the Write Life teaches writers how to tap into this skill. This practical and real-world view of The Write Life makes it a site to visit for new and veteran writers alike.

5.  The Jeff Goins Blog

The Jeff Goins Blog is a multifaceted blog that offers writing advice on various platforms. The site was founded by award-winning author Jeff Goins and is predominantly designed to help writers reach their true potential.

The contents of the blog are well-crafted and multi-faceted. In many ways, the blog is not just about writing; it is also about cultivating creativity in all facets of life.

All in all, the Goins Writer is a potent resource that will help you grow as a writer.

6.  Jerry Jenkins

If you want to make your writing as professional as possible, the Jerry B. Jenkins blog is a potent resource. It was founded by New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins. He has published nearly 200 books and is the author of the bestselling Left Behind series.

The blog offers a free writing assessment and is specially designed to help writers achieve their dreams of becoming authors. The blog contains well-written content and writing courses that will help you achieve your full potential as a writer.

7.  Write to Done

The Write to Done blog is a useful resource for writers of all genres. The blog was founded by veteran author Mary Jaksch, and whether you want to write a fiction or non-fiction book, the blog is a great place to start. The content is diverse and not limited to writing tips.

It also includes articles on book promotion, time management, and staying motivated while writing. The blog also contains literary industry news and updates to further immerse you in the literary industry.

Overall, the blog is an excellent writing resource that will propel your writing career to new heights.

Starting out as a professional writer can be a difficult prospect. You will be expected to create great work for your audience. It is also expected that your work is original and free from any errors.

One of the best ways to hone your writing skills is to read great content from writing blogs. However, there are a lot of writing blogs out there and you should only take tips from the best ones.

With this short list of writing blogs, you will be able to enhance your writing skills to the highest degree.

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