FAQ

Common questions and answers. If yours isn't here, the answer is probably /contact.

Is my work safe? Do you train AI on my stories?: No. We never train models on your content. Quill (our AI editor) calls Anthropic's API, which doesn't train on inputs by policy. We retain prompts only as long as needed for cost tracking, error debugging, and abuse mitigation — never for model training.
Does Quill write my story for me?: No — Quill guides and steers, never writes. He's an editor, not a ghostwriter. He reads your beats, characters, and themes and gives you feedback — an assessment, what's working, and specific directions to pursue — plus professional-grade Greenlight coverage. He never writes or rewrites your prose, and never hands you a finished line to paste in. Every word in your story is yours.
Who owns the stories I write here?: You do. Always. We claim no rights to your content beyond the limited license needed to host it and run features you opt into (e.g. submitting to workshop puts your snapshot in front of reviewers). Delete your account and your stories are wiped.
What does it cost?: Free for everything except Quill and Greenlight — story writing, workshop, forums, messaging, Hall of Fame all cost nothing. Quill and Greenlight cost OMD Coins ($0.99 for 1 coin, $20 for 30, $50 for 100, $100 for 300). Subscribers ($20/month) get 50 coins/month included. Unused coins never expire.
Why give-to-get in the Workshop?: Because anything else creates a death spiral. If everyone submits and nobody reviews, the queue fills with submissions and empties of reviewers. Submitting is free, but the social norm — and the Reviewer tier system — rewards people who show up to read other writers' work.
What if I'm new and have nothing to submit yet?: New writers start in the training queue at /workshop/training. Review three curated short stories there (Edgar Allan Poe, Kate Chopin, and friends — they don't bite); an admin moderator approves the first two, then strong reviews can auto-approve. After three approved training reviews you can submit your own work to the Workshop. Edge cases — verified industry pros, special-access requests — can ask an admin to grant eligibility directly.
Can I export my work?: Yes. Every story can export to Markdown or Fountain from its detail page. There's no lock-in — you can take your story and walk at any time.
What happens if I delete my account?: Your name, bio, avatar, and contact info are wiped. Your stories and workshop submissions are removed. Forum posts, Hall of Fame entries, and reviews you wrote stay but are attributed to "[deleted account]" so other people's threads and submissions aren't broken.
Is there a mobile app?: Not yet — the site works well on mobile browsers and you can install it to your home screen as a PWA (progressive web app). Native apps are deferred until there's clear demand.
What's the difference between Greenlight and the Marketplace?: Greenlight is coverage at three depth tiers, priced in coins. Marketplace is industry pros writing coverage for cash, with prices set by the pro and a 20% platform fee. Greenlight is live; Marketplace is on the roadmap.
How do you handle moderation?: Every piece of public content has a Report button. Reports go to a moderator queue. Moderators can soft-delete content and ban users by account or by email. New accounts have a 24-hour cooldown before they can post in forums, and a 7-day cooldown before they can DM strangers.
Why do I need to verify my email?: Verified email is required to submit to the workshop, post in forums, DM other users, and (when launched) purchase coins. The Sybil defenses depend on it — without verification a single attacker can spin up endless burner accounts.
How do I contact support?: /contact has the details. It's a small team (one person right now) so response time varies but every message gets a reply.