The following links are complied by various links that I found online (Study.com, ReadBrightly.com, Aerogrammestudio.com, etc.) to help young writers write, learn the rules of grammar, and even help the exceptional young writers to publish their work. I will be updating the list periodically, so make sure you come back and visit.
Writing Tools and Grammar Help:
- Study.com’s English Grammar Help has dozens of short, animated videos to teach the rules of grammar in a fun and engaging way.
- The Purdue Online Writing Lab – Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab is a wonderful place to learn all of the various rules of grammar and usage.
- Grammar Girl – Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, offers up a wealth of quick and dirty grammar tips for better writing. The tips are available in a blog and a free podcast, and readers can submit their own burning grammar questions.
- Merriam-Webster – Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary and thesaurus is easy to use and guaranteed accurate. Other site features include a Word of the Day, podcasts, word games and free downloads.
- Chomp Chomp – This website provides ‘grammar instruction with attitude.’ The site’s ‘grammar bytes’ include grammar rules, handouts, interactive exercises, videos and definitions to common grammar terms.
- Graphic organizers for writing and reading
- Jo Oram’s Character Profile Worksheet
Learn from the Masters (Award Winning Kidlit Authors and Illustrators):
Please visit the author/illustrator interview posts, click here.
Sites Welcome Submissions from Young Writers:
- About Fiction Writing – The About.com Guide to Fiction Writing provides all sorts of creativity boosters for young writers. The site also offers advice for those who are
new to fiction.
- Best Teen Writing – showcases some of the stories, essays, and poetry written by teen authors from the United States who earned a National Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Awards look for work that demonstrates technical skill, personal voice or vision, and originality.
- Book-In-A-Week – The Book-In-A-Week website is for serious young writers who want a challenge. The writing community encourages creativity by asking members to write as much as possible the first week of every month.
- Cadaverine Magazine – believes in showcasing contemporary, innovative and original new writing from the next generation of literary talent. It welcomes submissions of literary fiction, poetry and reviews by writers under the age of 30. Cadaverine Magazine is based in the UK but welcomes international submissions.
- Canvas Teen Literary Journal – was established and 2013 and publishes quarterly in print, ebook, web, video, and audio formats. It is seeking work by writers aged 13 to 19 and accepts fiction, novel excerpts, poetry, plays, nonfiction, new media and experimental cross-genre work. Canvas asks that all submissions be previously unpublished but it will make exceptions for work that was published in a school literary journal or a personal website.
- Claremont Review – is based in British Columbia and publishes young artists, aged 13 to 19 from anywhere in the English-speaking world. It accepts poetry, short stories, short plays, graphic art, photography, and interviews twice a year in the spring/summer and fall/winter.
- Hello Giggles – is a lifestyle website founded in 2011 by writer Molly McAleer, producer Sophia Rossi and actress Zooey Deschanel. The site is currently seeking young contributors for its newly launched teen section. The editors are looking for personal essays, cultural criticism, articles with original reporting, short fiction, and illustrations. Contributors must be at least 14 years of age.
- NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program – NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, the young writers’ section of the site challenges people who are 12 and under to write a 50,000 word novel. If you are over the age 12 and want to participate, join the adult version of the NaNoWriMo Program.
- One Teen Story — Direct kids here to introduce them to the nonprofit’s monthly magazine. Each issue features one short story about the teen experience, usually from a known young adult author. Teens drawn to the short story form can also submit their work for consideration in an annual issue that features a story written by a teen for teens.
- Polyphony H.S. – is a student-run literary magazine for high-school writers published annually each August. It accepts poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction and authors are limited to three submissions at any one time. Young people can also become involved in the magazine by joining its international editorial board.
- Reach Every Child – Designed for exceptionally young writers (think 12 and under), Reach Every Child offers a list of publishers that accept stories, poems and works of art. More than 40 markets are listed.
– is an American online magazine created by fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson in 2011, then aged just 15, with Jane Pratt (founding editor of Sassy) and Ira Glass (This American Life) among its many high-profile supporters. The site has monthly themed content, with updates three times every weekday, and once a day on weekends, and every school year the editors compile the best from the site into a printed yearbook.
- Scholastic – If you are looking for a site that inspires and covers the basics of writing, Scholastic is the place to be. The site is great for kids and teachers.
- The Story Starter – Creativity abounds at Story Starter! Their automatic generator plays host to over one trillion (no joke!) creative ideas for writers.
- Story Spinner Online – The Online Story Spinner from writing instructor Bonnie Neubauer offers millions of ideas to get people writing. When users click on the Story Spinner, they get a starting phrase, a setting and four words that must be included in the story.
- Teen Ink – This national teen website (and magazine) counts on submissions from young writers to fill their pages. Writers must be between the ages of 13 and 19 to be considered, and there are also community forums to which any teenager can submit work for peer review. The magazine, book series, and website are devoted entirely to writing, art, and photos by teens. It’s also a go-to for teens interested in writing and publishing nonfiction essays and articles as well as poetry.
- Teen Voices – Like Teen Ink, Teen Voices accepts submissions from young writers between the ages of 13 and 19.
- U.S. Copyright Office – This site is a must-see for writers of all ages. It will teach you everything you need to know about copyright and includes a section where you can register your work.
- Voiceworks – is an Australian quarterly magazine that features new writing by Australian young writers. The theme for the Spring 2015 issue is ‘Echo’ and submissions close on 3 May. Fiction and nonfiction submissions must be under 3000 words and all contributors must be aged under 25.
- The Writer’s Workshop – The Writers’ Workshop (run by the Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) offers a free grammar handbook that explains basic grammatical rules. The handbook is easy to read, complete and accurate.
- Young Adult Review Network (YARN) – is an award-winning literary journal that publishes outstanding original short fiction, poetry and essays for young-adult readers. It seeks to discover new teen writers and publish them alongside established writers of the YA genre. YARN is based in the United States and warmly welcomes international submissions.
- Young Authors Guide – Where young writers can find print and online literary magazines to read, places to publish their own works, and legitimate contests. Some publish only young writers, some publish all ages for young readers.
- Young Writer’s Society – Dedicated to scribes between the ages of 13 and 25, the Young Writer’s Society is the world’s largest website for young writers. The members-only community encourages submissions and offers tips that will help anyone become a better writer.