When most writers think about online resources, they immediately jump to the usual suspects—Scrivener tutorials, Grammarly, or Kindlepreneur. But there’s a world of lesser-known tools and communities that offer surprising benefits for authors looking to improve their craft or marketing chops.
Here are five unusual resources worth checking out:
1. The Pudding’s Visual Essays
While not aimed specifically at authors, The Pudding publishes data-driven visual essays that can spark new ways of thinking about narrative structure, reader engagement, or even typography. Writers who want to think of new ways to market their stories could benefit from seeing how information can be told visually and interactively.
2. YouTube’s “Voices of the Past” Channel
This channel brings historical texts to life through high-quality narration and context. Whether you’re writing historical fiction or looking for authentic period language and ideas, this is a goldmine of inspiration often overlooked by authors. Not to be missed: First-Hand Accounts of 536: The Worst Year To Be Alive in History
3. TV Tropes
It looks like a fan wiki—and it is—but TV Tropes is one of the best resources for identifying character archetypes, plot structures, and narrative devices across genres. Writers can use it to break out of clichés or to intentionally lean into reader expectations. Warning: It’s also a notorious time sink.
4. World Anvil
Marketed mostly to game masters and tabletop roleplayers, World Anvil is a worldbuilding platform that helps you organize lore, characters, and timelines. If you’re working on an expansive series or a secondary-world fantasy, this can be a more structured alternative to scattered notes and disconnected files.
5. A Soft Murmur
Writing in silence doesn’t work for everyone. A Soft Murmur lets you mix ambient sounds—like rain, waves, wind, or coffee shop chatter—to create a custom writing environment that blocks distractions without lyrics or ads. It’s surprisingly effective for maintaining focus during long writing sessions.
Writing tools don’t always have to come with a “for writers” label to be valuable. Sometimes, the most unexpected resources can provide the spark you need—whether it’s a new way to structure your story, deepen your worldbuilding, or simply stay focused. Explore these five resources and see which ones fit into your process.
