Writers: 10 Subreddits to Find Writing Tips You Need
As Maya Angelou said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I’m sure that everyone reading this has had plans of writing, be it a story of personal heroic exploits, amazing dreams or life experiences. However, most of us are held back by a lack of writing experience and a lack of a general idea of how writing actually works.
Apart from those two factors, there is a third essential one: lack of opportunity to practice. If you are looking for guidance and direction to help take your writing skills to the next level, look no further than Reddit. It is home to a wide range of communities and even more subscribers, each contributing, critiquing, and encouraging each other to be master of the word.
Here are 10 writing subreddits every writer should subscribe to.
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1. /r/writing
The /r/writing subreddit is a general writing hub where the process of writing is discussed. It’s where suggestions, tips, and anything connected to writing are submitted by users and discussed by redditors. It’s the perfect place to get your "writing” gears running.
There is a weekly critique thread that is stickied at the top of the subreddit in case you want others to read your work. In short, /r/writing is a place for you to share tips, news articles, and anything related to writing for the community to read and enjoy.
2. /r/DestructiveReaders
This particular subreddit is dedicated to having your work deconstructed, mercilessly. The problem with most readers is that they hold back on giving critique – mostly because they think that they are not in a position to do so, since they aren’t writers themselves.
This makes it difficult for writers to develop themselves, since more often than not, they are being cushioned with fluffy commentary. This subreddit gives you an opportunity to have your work critiqued with all honesty and skepticism that a writer deserves.
3. /r/writingprompts
Writing Prompts is perhaps my most favorite writing subreddit. It is a breeding ground for creative prompts and short stories – and several times redditors found themselves writing full-length novels and getting published because of this community.
If you have a creative mind that you must set loose, go to this subreddit daily and try to write your own stories, or pitch your idea for a story for others to build up on. Who knows, a prompt here might just be the story you are looking for to write all along?
4. /r/CharacterDevelopment
Some of the most important parts of any literary piece are, without a doubt, the characters. A novelist can have a flawless writing style, but if the characters are flat and without any dimension, the piece will be about as memorable as a fly on a wall.
This subreddit focuses on developing your characters, providing a platform for exchanging critique and suggestions when it comes to building believable characters.
5. /r/WorldBuilding
This applies to fiction writers who prefer to build a world of their own instead of using real-life places, mostly for fantasy and science fiction writers. World building is an important aspect for these writers, it is the world in which their characters move around in.
This subreddit is the perfect place to discuss such matters – from actual world building, which entails setting up rules of the newly conceived world down to the tiniest of details that may affect the entire plot of the story.
6. /r/WriterMotivation
Every writer, without an exception, will encounter a writer’s block, sooner or later. It is the most terrible thing that any writer can experience. Imagine overflowing with ideas, only to find that no matter what you write down, it just can’t seem to flow, or perhaps you simply don’t have the "juice” to keep on writing.
This subreddit is aimed towards motivating writers to keep on writing, find their mojo, and ultimately get through their writer’s block.
7. /r/Screenwriting
If you’re aspiring to be a writer for a television network or you simply want to write for a film, /r/Screenwriting is the place for you.
Here, you can discuss screenplays, techniques, share and find resources, and basically have a merry time talking about anything that is related to screenwriting.
8. /r/PlayWriting
Writing for the stage is an art itself. Playwrights can share their work for thoughts and critique, submit resources for others and interesting articles to discuss, and generally talk about anything that has to do with the magical world of stage plays.
9. /r/ReadMyScript
And after you’re done with the previous subreddits and have come up with your own script, feel free to post it here for honest discussion, suggestions, and critique. This is much like the /r/DestructiveReaders subreddit, only for scripts (but you can also cross-post your script on /r/DestructiveReaders for maximum exposure).
10. /r/SelfPublish
The dream of every writer is to have their work published. Back in the day, you had to rely on a publishing house for this to happen – and you had to brave many painful and bitter rejections before you would finally hold a masterpiece in your hands. Most writers didn’t even get that far.
However, nowadays, because of the internet, and mostly because of Amazon, independent writers can now unleash their stories out onto the world without the bureaucracy.
Bonus: Genre-Specific subreddits
Most writers have this specific niche that they feel most comfortable in – their true genre, so to speak. Agatha Christie had mystery and crime novels, Edgar Allan Poe was the father of horror, Christopher Moore has the knack for comedy – sooner or later every writer finds their own genre.
To help in developing with whichever genre you’re working on, there exist several subreddits that can cater to your needs.
As an additional tip, you can cross-post on other subreddits as long as you follow their rules. Generally, smaller subreddits like the ones mentioned above don’t get much attention unless you redirect readers to them. Cross posting is simply submitting the link of your original post to a different subreddit.
To End
Writing is the most beautiful way to lose yourself. It gives birth to new worlds, to haunting characters, and to stories so captivating you may lose sleep just thinking about it. Everyone who has a dream can write, all they need is a little fuel to keep the passion burning, support, practice, and the preserverance to rough it out through the publication process.
Now that you have a starting point for where to go for your writing needs, feel free to tell us in the comments about your own experiences and successes as a writer.