As much as is said about the sheer versatility of the WordPress platform—available for everyone from simple e-commerce sites to mega-corporations, media outlets, design firms etc.—it may be hard to remember that the entire endeavor was begun specifically as a place where bloggers and writers could craft and share their words with a simple out-of-the-box and easy to customize site. As such, budding writers and bloggers as well as though who’ve been operating on WordPress for years still have so many great choices for themes built around the simple idea of helping wordsmiths connect with a readership.
Of course, as with all things WordPress, there is no “one size fits all” thinking. So if you’re ready to embark on an online writing venture or just want to ditch a tired old theme and reinvent yourself and your page, check out some of these choices for hot and happening themes, some paid and some free but all nicely attractive and mobile friendly.
- A multi-purpose theme that is great for authors, Creativo comes preloaded with several website layouts that can be installed with just a click of the mouse. With portfolio type content, full WooCommerce support (important for those authors and writers who plan on selling their work via the site), three distinct design layouts and lots of choices for skins, headers, color choices etc., the program also offers a live chat plugin as well as a page builder and slider for tweaking the look and feel of the design.
- Modules uses a “modular” approach to theme design and comes equipped with several that operate with a drag-and-drop function to really make building your layout easy, quick and fun. The program also has demo websites that beginners can utilize to get an idea of what they want, background support via live video, lots of custom widgets and sidebar and header styles and the full range of Google Fonts.
- Billed as an awesome theme for “storytellers, authors and photographers,” Candid comes with a two-column design that uses large images and a seamless mobile responsiveness. Based on a minimalist feel, the program puts your content center stage via clean and elegant typography and fonts that make content much more readable across the gamut of screen sizes, an important consideration as the majority of those online use mobile devices rather than static laptops or even desktops systems.
- For those looking for a truly professional feel, Daily Dish Pro features crisp typography and beautiful image choices. The widget-centric homepage makes for quick and easy set up, and the multiple page templates and custom header choices allow for creating a nicely unique look.
- Brittany has a homepage that features an intro space at the top, with the content you want to highlight flowing out underneath. Like the other programs it comes with a decent handful of layout and template options—which can be switched back and forth among your site’s different pages—but also features seamless social media integration as well as tools for content discovery.
- Like Candid, Pocket takes a very minimalist approach to theme design so users will focus their attentions strictly on content. A simple, single-column layout comes with large, readable fonts and oversized images that make your words the center of attention and allows for a nicely engaging experience. The navigation appears at the top and social media buttons are situated at the bottom, and the set-up time is very short, meaning you can be up and running quickly.
- Anyone who has spent a decent amount of time exploring WordPress themes has probably heard of Montblanc. Very powerful and incredible customizable, the theme offers flexible layouts and styles for home and interior pages as well as custom widgets and templates. It works well as a multi-author or single author site and comes with prebuilt portfolio pages and photo galleries that work with smooth-operating sliders.
- Lastly, Lenscap is a simple yet beautiful theme great for personal blogs that are loaded with content. A large “carousel” and footer category menu put content discovery first, and it links up with Lightbox to display photos and videos to create an all-encompassing user experience. And multiple color palattes and a live theme customizer give designers lots of choices for creating a unique site that works for a variety of end goals.
