What's new for authors

Changes to the editor and the story engine that affect how you write, newest first. Anything that changes how an already published story behaves is called out. Everything else is safe to ignore until you want it.

29 September 2026#

• Covers now use a 512 by 800 pixel size, instead of a slightly wider shape. A cover made from a standard 512 by 800 template fits without losing its edges. Covers you already uploaded are not changed; they are simply shown in the new, slightly narrower frame. See Story details and cover.

28 September 2026#

• These author docs launched, with playable examples and a full outline.
• The ? guide inside the editor now links here, and its notes on remembered values cover text and lists, not only yes/no and numbers.

27 September 2026#

• Share this draft. The three-dot menu next to Submit can make a private link to your current draft that anyone can read without an account. Stop sharing turns it off immediately. See Preview, share and submit.
• New scenes, endings and forks now appear in the list right after the one you have selected, including a scene created from a choice's + New scene… option, instead of always landing at the bottom.
• Fixed a false "Newer version exists" message that could appear while typing quickly, even with only one tab open.
• Cover images are cropped to a 2:3 portrait when you upload them, and resized and compressed in your browser. See Story details and cover.
• Profile pictures are cropped to a square when you upload them.

26 September 2026#

• Anyone with an account can write. There is no longer a separate author role or waitlist.
• Story history checks. A check can now ask whether the reader visited a scene, how many times, whether they chose a particular option, or how many choices they have made. They work without any remembered values in paragraph blocks and forks. See Story history. Stories that use them need a newer version of the mobile app.

16 September 2026#

• The mobile app can now tell when a story uses a feature newer than the app supports, and asks the reader to update instead of showing a broken story. The website is not affected.

15 September 2026#

• The submit form gained a suggested slug, a note for the editor, and the two required confirmations about rights and original writing. The note and the slug save with your draft. See Preview, share and submit.
• When an editor asks for changes, their notes now keep their formatting in the editor.

14 September 2026#

• Lists. A remembered value can hold a collection of text or numbers, which makes inventories possible. See Lists and inventory.
• Pick a random item from a list, or an item at a position in a list, into a text or number value.
• Checks on lists: contains and does not contain. They also work in paragraph blocks.

11 September 2026#

• Bold and italic from the text toolbar now show up for readers. Earlier, the formatting displayed while you were editing but did not reach readers.

9 September 2026#

• Text fields. A scene can ask the reader to type an answer, which any later scene can print or check. See Asking the reader for text.
• Calculations. Anywhere the editor asks for a number, you can give it a small calculation, and you can compare one value with another. See Math and comparing values.
• A welcome box and a self-explaining starter story, so a new author's first story teaches the shape as they edit it.
• The ? guide, Focus mode, and plain-language hints on the optional features.