Writing.Com 101

Creating and Uploading Writing

Most of the many things you can do on Writing.Com happen within an item in a member's portfolio. Writing.Com provides a wide variety of item types where you can create and share your writing and ideas.

Every member has a personal portfolio for storing their Items. To create a new item, click +CREATE SOMETHING in the left navigation, or click + Create on your portfolio page.

If you are navigating manually, open your portfolio page from the left navigation by clicking Portfolio → Portfolio, or by clicking your handle. Then click the + Create link below your portfolio tools.

From the CREATE SOMETHING NEW page, choose the type of item you wish to create and click the link to get started.

For a complete overview of each item type, see Item Types and Their Uses.

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Adding Your Writing

When creating an item on Writing.Com, there are three common ways to add your writing to the editor.

Type Directly Into the Editor

You can type your work directly into the Body text box on the item creation page, which is labeled with the message "Enter your writing below."

The editor includes an automatic save feature that periodically saves your work in the editor system while you are typing. (It does not automatically override your item if you are editing.) By default, autosave runs every 60 seconds, though this setting can be adjusted in your editor preferences.

Autosave helps protect your work from accidental clicks, browser issues, or internet interruptions. Even so, it is still a good habit to click Save periodically to ensure your changes are stored exactly when you want them.

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Drag and Drop From a Word Processor

You can drag and drop a document file directly into the editor. This feature is available anywhere the Writing.Com editor appears, including items, newsfeed posts, and comments.

The drag-and-drop tool currently supports .docx files. Images contained within the file are not imported.

Simply drag the file into the editor and follow the instructions to import the text.

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Copy and Paste From Your Computer

Many members prefer to write in a word processor and then paste their work into Writing.Com. This approach allows you to keep a reliable copy of your writing on your own computer.

To do this, copy the text from your document and paste it into the item's Body text box. Then complete the remaining fields such as the item's title, content rating, and description, and choose a Save option to store the item in your portfolio.

Note: If formatting problems occur when copying from programs such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, pasting the text into a plain text editor (such as Notepad) first can help remove unwanted formatting before pasting it into Writing.Com.

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Explore more:

Overview of Your Portfolio
Item Types and Their Uses
Using the Editor