websites for writers

If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do.
- William Zinsser

It's always exciting to find a new site for writers, about writing, devoted to the art of writing and/or interested in helping writers find their way. As many of you know, I like writing competitions, partially because I like competing, but also because it helps get the creative juices flowing. With that said, here are some sites worth checking out:

1) Winning Writers - www.winningwriters.com

Devoted to finding and creating quality resurces for poets and writers, Winning Writers hosts an online poetry contest guide that ranks and profiles over 750 poetry contests, sponsors two annual poetry contests, and assists in several others, for both poetry and short stories. Sign up for a free newsletter to keep up-to-date on the latest contests and deadlines.

2) NaNoWriMo - www.nanowrimo.org

This site's big month is in November - National Novel Writing Month. Participants sign up, and on November 1, they begin writing. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. No editing. No breaks. No self-doubt. Just writing. With the ability to communicate with other NaNoWriMers in your area through forums and local write-ins, not to mention your own homepage with stats about yourself and a word counter you update yourself, you'll find it hard not to come down with novel-writing fever. Chances are what you end up with isn't quite what you're going to send to Random House to publish, but the point isn't to have a polished work of literature, rather it's to get you to sit down and do what it is us writers are so great at avoiding - actual writing. I took part in my first NaNoWriMo this past year, and the results are what I'm working on revising now.

3) Script Frenzy - www.scriptfrenzy.org

Same idea as NaNoWriMo, except that the month-long competition takes place in April, and instead of a novel, you work on writing a 100-page script or collection of scripts (all types accepted, whether for screen or stage).

4) NYC Midnight - www.nycmidnight.com

Writers, filmmakers, animators - this is the site for you. NYC Midnight sponsors dual-round short story and screenplay writing competitions. You sign up in advance, and on the day the competition begins, you're assigned a heat number with a subject and genre for your story or screenplay. For Round 1, you have one week to write and submit, and one month later, the winners from each heat are announced, and from those, a select group go on to compete in Round 2. Among their other contests are competitions for filmmakers and animators, with a similarly tight schedule with which to complete your masterpiece.

5) Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - www.scbwi.org

The names says it all. If you want to write or illustrate for children's literature, you'd better be a card-carrying member. From workshops and grants to conferences and valuable connections, this is a great site to check out to learn the ins and outs of the industry.

6) Writer's Digest - www.writersdigest.com

Since 1920, Writer's Digest has been publishing worthy content for writers everywhere. Now check out their website, and be sure to look up their list of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" (where you'll find Winning Writers). Their brand includes the oh-so-useful Writer's Market and its many industry-specific guides, both online and in print.

So there you have it. Go search, write, and conquer.