Writing.Com 101

Free and Paid Membership Benefits

Free memberships are available to anyone who wishes to join. Each registered membership includes an online portfolio, numerous creative user tools, email services and the chance to meet and bond with fresh creative minds!

To further enhance your community experience, Writing.Com offers four levels of paid memberships   at a very reasonable cost. Paid members have the ability to store more items, upload images, organize groups, create survey forms and much more while knowing that they are supporting the site. With each level of membership, members gain more than the last. Paid memberships can be paid in increments of three months, six months or annually from the Writing.Com Shop  . Pricing begins at $9.95 for three months and goes up. Click the memberships below to read what each level includes:

Free Membership Limited, trial-like level that provides the basic tools and features, allowing anyone to join in and benefit.

Basic Membership ($29.95 per year) Entry level membership adds more storage space.

Upgraded Membership ($49.95 per year) Well-rounded level, adds even more storage space and the ability to create many different item types including books, images, groups and surveys; the usual choice for casual members and those just getting started!

Premium Membership ($139.95 per year) Feature-rich level with all the bells and whistles allowing members to get the most out of Writing.Com. This is the WdC recommended level of paid membership for those looking to get "the most bang for your buck"!

Premium Plus Membership ($259.95 per year) Premium membership supersized!

Free Membership    ^TOP
Our lowest level allows members to read thousands of stories, poems and articles and also create and maintain a writing portfolio of their own using many of the basic tools and features offered by Writing.Com. Either way, there is no charge for this level. Includes:

Personal online portfolio with recycling bin
Storage of up to 10 items in portfolio
Recycling Bin and Portfolio tabs (except Blog tab)
Public Portfolio URL to hand out to family, friends and publishers
Personal @Writing.Com email address with full email service, including 2 folders and 5 MB of space and 500 messages
Ability to create static items (up to 50KB each), campfire creatives, product reviews, in&outs, madlibs, polls, word searches, quizzes, and crossword puzzles
Ability to add covers to portfolio tabs, including use of Writing.Com Stock Covers
Ability to use Writing.Com Stock Covers for item covers
Ability to rate and review other members' items
Ability to receive feedback from other members of the community
Ability to request feedback from other members of the community via Reviews tab
Ability to use Handle menus including Queue tool
Search tool at the top of the left column
Left and right column navigation
Favorite/Fan items and authors organization, and Fans tab
Scratchpad, notepad (1 page) and ability to add Edit Points to one item
Ability to post in message forums and use instant messenger
Ability to post in Notebook tab and Newsfeeds
Receive Gift Points from Writing.Com for each day logged in
Ability to receive Gift Points from other members
Ability to participate in member-held contests and groups

Basic Membership   ($29.95 per year)    ^TOP

This entry level membership adds more storage space. Includes all the benefits of Free membership, plus:

Storage of up to 50 items in portfolio
Static item size increased to 100KB
Ability to create 2 message forums
Ability to create 10 interactive stories
Ability to create folders
Larger, bolder handle
The Review Tool
Additional Notepad page and Edit Point item
Additional email disk space to 25 MB and 1,250 messages
Access to the chat room
Ability to leave anonymous reviews and/or ratings
Slightly faster instant message time
Use of passkey ring
Fewer advertisements on Writing.Com
Access to official Writing.Com contests

Upgraded Membership   ($49.95 per year)    ^TOP

This well-rounded level, which adds even more storage space and the ability to create many different item types including books, images, groups and surveys, is the usual choice for casual members and those just getting started. Includes all the benefits of Basic membership, plus:

Storage of up to 250 items in portfolio
Ability to upload images
Ability to add covers to items, with advanced options
Static item size increased to 250KB
Ability to create unlimited number of message forums, create up to 10 books (up to 5MB), create up to 20 interactive stories, and host groups of up to 250 members per group, create survey forms, and cNotes
Ability to embed YouTube videos in books
Portfolio Blog tab
Ability to collapse the right navigation column to open up center workspace
Additional Notepad pages (5) and Edit Point items (10)
Use of "Authors In Print" promotion system
Summary statistics for items
Feedback and ratings breakdowns
Extended statistics
Access to the Writing.Com Ideanary and the WritingML to HTML converter
Ability to create passkeys for items and post ads in the Writing.Com classifieds
Ability to create unlimited email folders and email disk space of 50 MB and 2,500 messages
Ability to post in scrolling messages and access to extended IM console
Offsite Email Access provides POP3/IMAP support to member's @Writing.Com email account
Even fewer advertisements on Writing.Com
Fast instant message time

Premium Membership   ($139.95 per year)    ^TOP

Feature-rich level with all the bells and whistles allowing members to get the most out of Writing.Com. This is the WdC recommended level of paid membership for those looking to get "the most bang for your buck"! Includes all the benefits of Upgraded membership, plus:

Storage of up to 1,000 items in portfolio
YourUsername.Writing.Com portfolio URL
Your personal InkSpot showcase portfolio
Full-time costumicons
Static item size increased to 500KB
Host groups of up to 1,000 members per group
Create up to 25 books (up to 10MB)
Ability to add photos to books, forum posts, notes (included in total photos)
Upload animated images
Ability to create multiple signature blocks
Host up to 25 web pages
Create up to 2 Shops
Upload up to 5 documents
Create up to 10 photo albums (500 photos max)
Create up to 30 interactive stories
Use of Revision Control System (RCS) for the body of all items
Use of Full Screen (FS) Edit
Use of Port Surf
Access to submission tracking
Email disk space of 100 MB and 5,000 messages
Additional Notepad pages (25) and Edit Point items (50)
Fastest instant message time
Ability to create 25 custom links
Access to Quick Links, Quick Favorites and Quick Functions

Premium Plus Membership   ($259.95 per year)    ^TOP

Premium membership supersized! Includes all the benefits of Premium membership, plus:

Storage of up to 2,000 items in portfolio
Static item size increased to 750KB
Host groups of up to 2,500 members per group
Create up to 50 books (up to 15MB)
Create up to 50 web pages
Create up to 10 Shops
Upload up to 100 documents
Create up to 25 photo albums (1,000 photos max)
Create up to 25 audio items
Create up to 40 interactive stories
Additional Notepad pages (50) and Edit Point items (75)
Email disk space of 200 MB and 10,000 messages
Ability to create 50 custom links
Access to Quick Surf

Compare Memberships
For a more visual overview of each membership's benefits and features, visit "Compare Free and Paid Membership Benefits"  to compare!

Recommended Reading

1. Support Writing.Com
2. Compare Free and Paid Membership Benefits 
3. Benefits of Writing.Com