5 Best Writing Subreddits

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Listen close. Reddit can actually be used to help your writing. Initially it seems like the front page of the internet is mainly a way to learn cool news, waste time and look at gifs while your boss isn’t looking. And it totally is those things, too. But it’s also a way that you can generate a spark that leads into stories, as well as learning about the craft.

These subreddits contain plenty of gems, and are more than worthy of your upvotes. Though, like lots of communities, you may have to earn your way in. That’s good, though, because it means you’ll either get welcomed in with open arms, or you’ll prove that the subreddit is worth your time. Anyway, here are five that are worth subscribing too.

 

1. /r/Writing

Seems obvious, right? Well before this list gets into the idea generators, it’s better to have the basics covered. /r/writing features lots of people talking about the craft of writing, what they should do. It’s a good basic place to learn what to do, and also what to avoid. Just be careful of the people who talk more about writing rather than doing it, but the fact that people ask these questions may be enough for you to think outside the box and solve an issue you’re having. It’s a really good place to get an outsider’s perspective. Consider this subreddit the basic entry point. From here, there’s plenty of hyperlinks to take you to other subreddits, but this is the most active one.

 

2. /r/shutupandwrite

This is a subreddit for those who want to cut down on the preconceived ideas of writing and put pen to a page. It has a focus on productivity and uploading works, as well as contributing to the feedback of other community members. It’s not a professional level subreddit, but it is one that focuses on the actual writing rather than deliberating whether to write or not. If you’re looking to get the next level opinion on your piece, be sure to stop by here. Whether the words that come out are good or bad, it’s important, possibly more important than anything, that you’re actually writing.

 

3. /r/nosleep

A place that has earned its title, as it’s kept many people staying awake all night with the lights on. /r/nosleep is a subreddit where people tell scary stories that are designed to be horrifying. Often, the ones that are the best are the ones that make you double check whether this subreddit is fictional or not. I’m not even going to leave the answer here for you, and you should go find out yourself. If you dare. Other than the fantastically scary things you’ll read on here, it’s fantastic to try your hand and push yourself out of your comfort zone. They say write what you know, and you can still do that here, you just have to write what makes it so you can’t sleep at night.

 

4. /r/Askreddit

Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, often said that one of his favourite ways to gather stories and ideas was to tell something that happened to him at a party and for others to contribute about what happened to them. Askreddit is like that, one person asks a question and then others answer with their own experiences. Sometimes this can range from the extremely mundane and silly to fascinating, thought provoking material. Think about the story behind the story, why did it happen, what could have been done different, for example. It’s fascinating to hear some of the events that have happened to people, and some of them sound too crazy to be true, and make you question about things that you’ve seen.

 

5. /r/Writingprompts

If you’re going to be sitting down working on your craft every day, there’ll be some days where you’re not sure what to write. It’s fine, it happens to everybody, you want to sit down and pour out the words, coffee brewing and ready, but you just can’t. /r/Writingprompts is good because it takes away that hard part for you. Ranging from fanfiction  to choose your own interpretation, there’s a lot of gold for you here to keep it going. Combine these prompts with /r/shutupandwrite and you’ll be on your way to improving quickly.

That’s five subreddits that can help you progress with your writing. Hopefully you find some communities that you want to join, and more importantly keep writing. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments.