Help / FAQ

Welcome! We're a new storytelling platform with a fresh and innovative approach to creative writing. Here, we encourage users to collaborate with other writers and authors to create stories and narratives with an unlimited number of possible story paths.

First, you sign up to create an account with us through a quick and simple process. Once that is done, you can begin writing the first chapter of a story or subsequent chapters to ongoing story paths that have been written by others. Other users can then also write the next chapters to those of yours. In doing so, a story can evolve in a theoretically infinite number of ways, limited only by the imagination of each writer.

As this is a new website, we are continually developing and improving the platform, whether it be by adding new features, improving its performance, or fixing any bugs. As such, you may experience some unpredictability or issues as we navigate this developmental phase.

To sign up:

1. Click Sign Up in the top-right of the header.
2. Enter your email address and click "Continue".
3. Check your email for a six-digit code sent to verify your email. Be sure to check your spam folder if you cannot find it.
4. Enter the six-digit code in the fields provided.
5. Choose a username and password. Confirm the password in the field provided. Click "Continue".
6. That's it! Your account is now created and you can now sign in with your username and password.

To change your password:

1. Click on your avatar head in the top-right of the header to expand the right sidebar.
2. Click on Change Password .
3. Check your email for a six-digit code sent to verify your email. Be sure to check your spam folder if you cannot find it.
4. Enter the six-digit code in the fields provided.
5. Choose a new password. Confirm the password in the field provided. Click "Continue".
6. Your password is now updated.

Click Sign In in the header of the website, enter your username and password, then click "Sign In".

If you are currently signed in, to sign out:

1. Click on your avatar head in the top-right of the header to expand the right sidebar.
2. Click on "Sign Out" .

Once you have signed up , you can write the first chapter of a new story as follows:

1. Click on one of the following:
   • The Write icon in the header on the top-right.
   • Write on the left sidebar when you click the menu icon on the top-left.
2. Enter the title of the first chapter of your story in the field provided.
3. Start writing the first chapter of your story, using the formatting options and controls as needed.
4. As you write, you can click "Save" or "Preview" to save (as a draft) or preview your work respectively. Note that we also regularly auto-save your work for you as write.
5. Once you are ready to publish your writing, click "Publish".
6. On the Publish form:
   1. Select the Genre of your writing.
   2. Write a brief description or synopsis of your writing. This will be displayed wherever your writing is featured e.g. on the home page, when browsing stories, or on your profile.
   3. Click "Publish" to publish your writing for others to enjoy!

In keeping with the spirit of collaboration and interactivity of our website, do note that, in addition to starting new stories, we strongly encourage users to contribute additional chapters to ongoing stories written by others.

At Fictish, we encourage our users to write subsequent chapters not just to their own stories, but those of others. Any chapter to a story on the site can contain numerous subsequent chapters, each with its own story path or twist.

To write the next chapter to an existing chapter of a story:

1. Begin by reading the story by clicking on a story chapter e.g. by browsing , on the home page, or on a profile page.
2. You can write an alternative story path at the end of any of the chapters by clicking on "Write Next Chapter" at the bottom of the chapter.
3. Alternatively, at the end of the story, you can choose from one of various story paths available, or you can write one yourself by clicking on "write your own".
4. Write and publish your chapter to the story as per usual.

Yes, you can save your work as a draft at any time while writing by clicking on "Save". In addition, the site will auto-save your work regularly as you write.

As you write, you can either click "Preview" to preview your work. Doing so will display a dialog of the entire story thus far, including your draft chapter.

To view a list of your stories:

1. Click on your avatar head on the top-right to expand the right sidebar.
2. Click on My Stories where a list of all your stories will be displayed.
3. Click on "Draft" or "Published" to filter the list by drafts or published stories. "Rejected" stories are those that, in rare cases, may have failed meeting our content standards or guidelines.

To continue working on your draft:

1. Go to the list of your stories , and click on the draft in question.
2. Click on the draft story card or on the pen/edit icon on the top-right of the story card.
3. Continue editing or writing your story as per usual.

There are currently some rules on when you are allowed to delete a chapter that you have written:

• Drafts can be deleted at any time.
• Published stories can only be deleted if nobody has yet written a subsequent chapter to it. Once a subsequent chapter has been written by anyone, it can no longer be deleted.

If a chapter you have written is eligible for deletion, you can delete it as follows:

1. Go to the list of your stories , and find the chapter you wish to delete.
2. Click on the trash/delete icon on the top-right of the story card.
3. Click "Yes" to confirm deletion of the chapter.

Links to chapters of a story are featured in various sections of the site, including:

• The home page.
• By clicking on Browse in the expanded left sidebar menu.
• On the profile page of each user.
• If you have bookmarked any chapters, they will appear in your Bookmarks .

To view a list of all published stories:

1. Click on the menu icon in the top-left to expand the left sidebar.
2. Click on Browse .

A list of published stories will be displayed, after which you can filter by clicking:

• First Chapter Only: Useful if you want to find stories to read from the start i.e. from the first chapter.
• Sort: Allows you to sort by most recent, top-rated, most-viewed, or most-bookmarked stories.

More advanced filters will be implemented in the future as the site evolves.

The entire story up to the selected chapter will be displayed for you to read. If you have already read prior chapters, the site will automatically scroll down to the first unread chapter.

At the end of the chapter, you can choose from numerous chapters or paths from which the story will continue, or you can write your own.

If you don't like a particular chapter to a story, you can:

• Click on the "Paths" button for that chapter to select a different chapter or story path (if available), OR
• Click on the "Alternative Path" button for the previous chapter of the clicked chapter card to select a different chapter or story path (if available), OR
• Click "Write Next Chapter" to write a new chapter that aligns more closely with how you think the story should unfold.

Please note that this applies only to Chapter 2 and beyond for any given story.

TOC stands for Table of Contents. Every story will have its own Table of Contents, and is updated everytime a chapter is added.

Clicking a chapter in this dialog will navigate to the chapter path.

Bookmarking a chapter allows you to store it in your personal list of bookmarks . You may want to do this for several reasons, including:

• Reading it again in the future.
• Being notified of subsequent chapters that have been written by one of our users.
• Wanting to personally write the next chapter to it at some stage.

Simply click on the bookmark icon at the bottom of each chapter while reading them. The chapter will then be stored in your list of bookmarks .

Click on your avatar head in the top-right, the click on My Bookmarks in the expanded right sidebar. Your bookmarks will be displayed in reverse chronological order based on the date they were added.

You can provide feedback for each individual chapter to a story by either:

• "Liking" or "Disliking" the chapter.
• Adding a comment.

Simply click on the thumbs up button at the bottom of each chapter to "like" the chapter, or the thumbs down button to "dislike" it.

The number between the thumbs up and down buttons is a simple score based on the number of likes minus the number of dislikes.

Note that, on publishing a new chapter, the writer will "like" their newly published chapter by default. So each new chapter will have at least one "like" at the start.

Click on the comments icon at the bottom of each chapter. A dialog will pop up with comments that have been added by other users (if any). You can also add your own comment in the input field provided if you are signed in.

Yes, simply click the "Reply" button to reply to a comment, or to read replies left by others to the comment.

Yes, simply click the trash/delete button on the bottom of your comment to delete it.

You can only edit a comment you have posted before a maximum of ten minutes have elapsed since you posted the comment. To edit your comment, simply click the pen/edit button below your comment.

That is the user's custom avatar.

An avatar is a customizable digital image or cartoon representation that visually represents you or any user on Fictish. You can personalize your avatar with different facial features, clothing, accessories, and expressions. Avatars add a layer of individuality and engagement to user interactions, making profiles of writers more recognizable in stories and discussions.

A plain, default avatar will be created for you after you sign up. You can easily edit and personalize your avatar after you create your account.

The number of options to customize and personalize your avatar will continue to grow as our website progresses in development.

To create or edit your avatar:

1. Click on your avatar head in the top-right of the header to expand the right sidebar.
2. Click on Edit Avatar .

Your avatar preview is displayed in the top left. Parts are separated into multiple categories.

To select a part, click the appropriate category, and select from one of the pictured options. Any part that is selected will be updated dynamically in the preview plate.

Once you are happy with your selections, remember to click "Save". Any unsaved changes will be lost if you navigate to other areas of Fictish without saving.

In the panel labelled "Customize Colors", there are color wheels for parts that you are able to change the color for. Note that not every part will have secondary or tertiary colored parts for you to customize.

To change a color:

1. Click a color wheel.
2. You can either manually pick a color, using the sliders to pick a color range, and then selecting from the color palette. If you have a specific color in mind, you may also enter specific RGB, HSL, or HEX values.

You can click the reset button in the top right of the "Customize Colors" panel. This will revert all colors to the last saved state.

Notifications are alerts or messages that inform you about relevant updates, interactions, or activities related to your account. These can include:

• Feedback on your stories such as likes or comments.
• Replies to your comments.
• Subsequent chapters written to your stories.
• Subsequent chapters written to your bookmarked stories, etc.

When signed in, your most recent notifications are represented by a number displayed in the corner of the notification button on the top-right. Click on the notification button to view your most recent notifications. Notifications will be marked as "read" once you view them.

Alternatively, to view a list of your notifications, including those that have been read:

• Click on your avatar head on the top-right to expand the right sidebar.
• Click on Notifications .

Yes, you can set your preferred theme by expanding the left or right sidebar under "Appearance" .