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Writing.com is a community for writers to share their latest work and receive feedback from readers and other writers. Since it has a completely free basic level of membership, there is no commitment to try out the functions and see if it's structure and community works for you.

I was a member for over two years, including a period of time with an upgraded membership that was gifted to me. The website has positive aspects, but can be difficult to navigate and unfriendly to new users. My first opinion of the home page was that it was excessively cluttered, with no clear navigation system. The page is filled with links, and if you are unfamiliar it can be tricky to find what you are looking for. Most websites have advertisements, but Writing.com goes to an extreme. The standard Google AdSense ads are present near the top of each page, and both sides are dotted with other sponsored links. These add to the clutter.

Once I activated my account, I did not find it difficult to post items and begin to review other writers. Directly above the Google ad bar are links to such areas as "My Account" and "My Portfolio" which get you where you need to go - once you learn where they are! I had to make frequent use of the FAQ to figure out how other features of the website worked. Unfortunately, it was not as intuitive as it could be.

With all the ads, I find the cost of upgraded memberships to be quite high. The free membership level has many limitations, for instance only being able to post ten items and not being able to participate in official Writing.com contests. One year of an upgrade can cost anywhere from $20 to nearly $1250.

They do have a "gift point" program where you can earn points to be used in their store, or given as incentives to other users. You earn points for everything from logging in to reviewing writers who you have not previously reviewed. If you make earning points a priority, it is possible to earn enough to upgrade to at least the basic free membership. The points needed for upgrades or other store purchases are very high, though, so it is easy to get discouraged before you attain enough.

Despite the cluttered appearance, I did get some helpful feedback. One of the most helpful tools for learning to write is learning how to critique other writers. I suggest that anyone who tries this website take advantage of the option. You will be providing the other writers with helpful, constructive information and learning what you think works and doesn't in your genre.

My final conclusion is that, while this is a helpful website for amateur writers just beginning to critique and be critiqued, it serves little value for more advanced writers. If you are looking for a critique partner, consider starting a local writing group, or check out other author forums such as the Absolute Write Water Cooler.

Writing.com is an interesting novelty, but did not hold lasting appeal for me and I eventually gave up and allowed my account to be purged due to inactivity.

Learn more about this author, K.A. Smith.
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