The art of creative writing requires both imagination and dedication on the part of the writer. If you want to develop your craft or need a place to connect with other teen writers, there are plenty of great online resources available to you if you are looking for help.
Online Tools to Help Teen Writers
It is important to learn about the different styles and elements of creative writing as part of the creative writing process. In order to help you become the best writer you can be, there are a variety of free websites for teen writers that provide expert articles, podcasts, guides, and videos.
There are a lot of sites on the Internet that can be helpful if you ever decide to make a career out of writing.
Pomegranate Words
This site offers free access to a number of brief online lessons that cover a range of topics related to poetry and creative writing, though it does not seem to have been updated recently in some areas. You can choose from a number of lessons on various topics, such as the proper use of meter in poetry, how to create characters, and how to develop your plot. There is no need to create an account in order to access these lessons. Anyone can access them and no account is required.
Purdue OWL
In addition to providing resources related to proper writing formatting in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles, the Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) also assists users in creating bibliographies through its help pages. If you’re not sure when to use a comma or whether a title should be italicized, you can use their grammar guides. In addition to spelling, grammar, and other writing staples, you’ll also find fun, easy exercises.
Poetry Foundation
The Teen section at poetryfoundation.org features articles, podcasts, and videos to help teens in all aspects of poetry. You’ll find tips on understanding and writing poems along with featured poems by famous poets.
Power Poetry
Power Poetry is a mobile community exclusively for young poets. You can read poems by others, add your own poetry, and find writing tips when you create a free account. You’ll need to verify you are over age 13 to create an account. Once registered you can access all the sites functions including searching for local poetry groups.
Social Communities for Teen Writers Online
A big part of writing is becoming an active participant in the writing community. This is how you grow as a writer and develop a following for your work. Supporting other teen writers and getting support from others keeps you motivated and positive about your work.
Teen Ink
Teen Ink includes a magazine, website, and book series dedicated to teen creativity including writing, art, and photography. Teens ages 13 to 19 can create a free account and submit different types of fiction, including poetry, to and of Teen Ink’s properties.
There are two distinct forums on the website that are each broken down into more specific chat room forums. The “Writer’s Workshop” forum is a place to share your work and get feedback from others. The “Regular Forums” are general chat rooms where you talk to other teens about anything you want.
The Young Writers Society
The Young Writers Society is a website where you can share your work including short stories, poems, lyrics, and even novels for everyone in the community to read. There are no age limits listed, but you must be over age 13 to register for a free account without parent permission. The site includes writing resources and links to contests through its chat forums.
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program was created for writers under the age of 18. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which takes place each November. During that month you are challenged to set a word count goal and attempt to write the first draft of a novel within that month.
Camp NaNoWriMo takes place in April and July each year where the challenge is to create a smaller project. Teens also have access to various challenges throughout the year. You can sign up for free with your own email address if you are over 13 or with your class. The site is packed with blog posts and videos from professional writers to help you succeed and grow.
Write the World
Write the World is an international online community of writers ages 13-18. They use writing prompts as the basis for monthly contests you can enter for free. Outside of the contests you can seek peer reviews of your own work and communicate with other young writers. Teachers can even create private groups on the website for their classroom or school to connect both online and in person.
Online Places for Teens to Publish Stories and Poems
Teens today have loads of opportunities to publish their work in both professional and unpaid publications. Communal sites like Wattpad allow writers of all ages to publish creative writing for free while teen-specific magazines publish only the work of teenagers.
Wattpad
With over 65 million users Wattpad is a platform for writers of all ages. Using your Facebook or Google account you can register for a free account if you are over age 13. Then you can upload creative works for others to read.
As you gain readers, you move up the ranks and have the chance to get published or have your story made into a movie by Wattpad Studios. The Teen Fiction section features a variety of categories like romance, humor, and adventure. There are writing contests and awards to help market your stories.
Underlined
Penguin Random House replaced Figment in 2018 with Underlined. Like Wattpad you can submit your own creative fiction, but this site does not have a standard system for reviewing stories. You’ll need to create an account with your email address to get started.
Then you can enter contests, take fun quizzes, watch videos from published authors, and find writing-related events. There are forums for registered members and you can edit or comment on stories in the comments section.
One Teen Story
One Teen Story is a quarterly literary magazine featuring only one story per issue from a great writer aged 13 to 19. You need to create a free account to use their submission manager if you want to submit a story for publication.
They are open to all genres of fiction that deal with teen experience, but stories must fall between 2,000 and 4,500 words. There are also themed submission contests with prizes up to $500.
Storybird
Storybird is similar to Wattpad and Underlined, but is directly aimed at a family-friendly audience. You need to register for a free account then you can submit your own picture books, serialized novels, or poems inspired by the provided free artwork.
Readers give feedback on your creations and you can access the how-to guides for help to improve your writing.
Creative Writing Knows No Age
In the past kids and teenagers weren’t always taken seriously in the literary world. However, today many educators and professionals place a high value on stories and poems written by talented teens. The sooner you get started on your literary journey, the sooner you’ll see your work touching readers.