Free Resources for All Writing Genres

This compilation of useful writing resources targets all writing genres and audiences - children, students, beginning, freelance and online writers.

Writing Resources for Various Audiences

Author Aid - a project of the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications - provides useful information to students and scholars in the developing world. Thanks to the mentoring scheme, users have the opportunity to mentor or find mentors who can help them in the process of writing or doing research. Many useful writing resources can be found in Author Aid's Resource Library; tips and resources are added on a regular basis

Following Author Aid weekly updates, I learned about the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) - a great online database of wrting centers across the world. Actually, most of them are based in the USA or quote US institutions. The university-based writing centers provide expertise on academic writing, e.g. how to write various academic papers, theses, reports, reviews. Aside from academic writing guides, IWCA resources are geared towards kids, secondary education students, peer tutors, teachers of English as a second language (ESL) and non-academic writers. Here is the list of all writing centers, non-textual resources are also available, e.g. podcasts and videos. 

Writing Resources indexed by Yahoo StyleGuide; writing resources submitted to the Yahoo Directory

Writers Resources by the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) - a comprehensive and content-rich list of over 2,000 resources; children’s writers section; writing resources for children and K-12 students; style guides including free tutorials; academic writing

Purdue Online Writing Lab – probably the most famous online site for academic writing guides, the site includes subject-specific resources; resources for K7-12 students and educators, professional writers, guides for conducting research 

Cybrary Man's collection of writing resources is a great curator's work. While the assembled articles, blogs, tools and applications address various writing genres and age groups, the research section is student-oriented. 

Free Grammar and Style Guides indexed by the Library Spot 

Grammar, Style and Writing Guides – links by the Internet Library for Librarians

Writing Skills Category of the E-books Directory

Freely accessible (but not downloadable) books at the Writing Section of the How-to website – English, academic, freelance writing

Many writing resources can be found in the MERLOT repository - just type 'writing' in the learning materials section. To see other OER sources, read my post on open textbooks or explore the Open Access Directory and the Global Open Access Portal

Many guides on academic writing may be found via the LibGuides Community - currently, over 2,900 libraries worldwide have chosen to showcase their collections. However, they are not equally resourceful

Writing Resources for Kids

Basic resources for writing and grammar for children aged 5-12 were developed by e-Learning for Kids. The courses in the form of short and interactive games are available in a number of languages (courses vary depending on the language). 

Other resources can be found in the section Writing by Children of Great Websites for Kids - a website sponsored by the American Library Association. 

Bob’s Place of Educational Links - writing resources for K1-K6 students, the site is maintained by Bob Steele, a former educator


Writing Resources mainly for Writers & Freelance Online Writers

Squidoo's tips for aspiring and beginning writers can be useful when writing newspaper and magazine articles, fantasy novels, chidlren's books, etc. Here are some interesting lenses: Online writing groups, communities and critique groups and Writers’ Groups, Organizations and Associations by State (US) - articles by Emma Larkins; 101 Best Websites for the Freelance Writer   compiled by Heather Schulte; and Writer’s Software/Resources

6 Must-Listen Podcasts for Novelists, Screenwriters & Storytellers - an article written by Joel Lee for MakeUSeOf 

Helpful Resources for writers by Crossroads Writers, an Oklahoma-based critique group

Write.com - a platform for freelance writers - a style guide for formal online writing  including advice on spacing and capitalization, writing abstracts and keywords; and writing resources on the proper use of the English language to help both academic and freelance writers. The expert articles examine grammar, punctuation, word choice and common mistakes. 

Links for writers and student writers provided by Ferguson Editorial & Design, free-lance writing and design services


Writing Resources mainly for K12 & University Students

EduHound directory writing resources for K-12 students (but also useful to other users): Grammar resources; Citation guides; guides for Writing, Vocabulary, Spelling; links to Research Paper Strategies; Editing tips and strategies; resources for Essay Writing and News Writing

Links by the Florida Virtual School Library Writing Center

A+ Research and Writing Links for High School and College Students by IPL2, the merged collections of the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians' Internet Index (LII)

Resources for Writing a Research Paper by the Free Internet Libraries, a website maintained by Walter Antoniotti, a former educator

Guide to Grammar and Writing sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation – articles on English usage, grammar and composition

Writing Spaces – online free textbooks written by teachers on social media and web writing for students

Citation Tutorials (APA, MLA and Chicago styles) by University of Nebraska Kearney

Chicago Manual of Style Q & A grammar section

Style manuals for students by Diana Hacker’s book - Research and Documentation book, Bedford St. Martin’s publishers; see documentation sources section and sample papers for the respective subject

Browsing the catalog of Flat World Knowledge (their textbooks can be read online for free), I found 2 online textbooks on writing - Writing for Success and Business English for Success. They are both written by Scott McLean. 

Writing Commons is an interactive web book (incl. videos in addition to the articles) which is openly accessible and peer-reviewed. It is suitable for undergraduate students and college-level teachers but may benefit others since academic, professional and creative writing are discussed. The web content is not as the one of a traditional textbook. Rather, it is continually enriched via submissions of new materials (see call for papers), those on new media are especially welcome. Once registered, users may comment on content, ask questions or network with writers and academics. There is also a glossary of the terms used on the website.