House rules
Keeping the fire friendly
A small circle of writers and readers, sharing stories the old way. These few rules keep it worth coming back to.
- 1
Read first, then speak
Feedback opens once you've reached the end of a chapter and spent a little time with it. Comments that could apply to any story are declined.
- 2
Honest is welcome. Cruel is not.
Love it or not, say so — and say why. Critique the writing, never the writer or other readers. No insults, harassment or hate.
- 3
Mind the spoilers
Talk about the chapter you just read. Don't reveal twists from later chapters or other stories.
- 4
Real people only
One account per person. No bots, no automated or mass-produced comments, no advertising. Accounts that break this are paused.
- 5
Authors own their words
Stories belong to the people who wrote them. Admins publish and organize work but never rewrite it; moderators approve or decline feedback but never edit it.
How feedback is reviewed
Every piece of feedback is read by an admin before it appears. To help them, the site shows how far you read and how long you spent, and an AI assistant gives a first opinion on whether the comment is civil and specific to the chapter. A person always makes the final call.
Along with your words, you choose how the chapter landed for you — from loved it to disliked it. Those ratings are only counted once your feedback is approved.
If your feedback isn't approved, you'll see a short note explaining why on your shelf.
For authors
Authors join by applying with a short writing sample. Once approved, you can draft in your studio, invite co-authors and beta readers, and submit chapters when they're ready. An admin checks each submission and publishes it — or sends it back with notes.