🆘Frequently Asked Questions

This page is still under construction.

Copyright & privacy

Will I keep the copyright over my creative work?

Yes, you do! We value transparency. Let us make it clear that:

• Everything you create within Fortelling is your creative work.

• You own the full ownership rights of everything.

• Your project will never be shared with others.

• We will never share or use your data for training AI monst... models.

• We will never claim

Am I required to credit Fortelling when I publish?

No, you're not required to mention or credit us in any way. If you do ever share your final story somewhere, we'd of course love to know.

Who can access my content?

Which company is behind Fortelling?

Projects

General

How do I delete a project?

Open your project > menu > project settings > tap 'Move to Archive'. The project has now been moved to your archive. Open the archive folder on your app's homescreen to permanently delete the project. Homepage > Archive > confirm deletion.

Story elements

What is a story element?

Story elements are the basic building blocks of your story. Examples are characters, character groups, locations, items, species, and languages. With a Fortelling Pro subscription, you can create your own custom tools (e.g., magic schools).

How can I re-shuffle items?

You can re-order items by entering 'shuffle' mode.

1. Tap the icon with the two crossing arrows to enable item reordering. At the end of the item, two lines will appear, one above the other; this is the drag indicator.

2. Long-press or click this, and the tile will follow your finger or cursor while you move it.

3. Release the drag indicator to put the chapter at that position in the list.

4. Tap the checkmark button to exit the 'shuffle' mode and save everything.

Customization

What are templates?

Fortelling offers a few default world-building tools. For example, locations. Within these tools are several templates with attributes that you can fill in, including biomes, buildings, and countries. With a Fortelling Pro subscription, you can customize these templates to your personal preference. Learn more.

Tldr: templates are forms within tools.

Can I create my own tools?

If you need a tool that isn't currently supported on Fortelling, you can create it yourself. For example, magic schools and their departments.

Open your project > menu > settings > tools > yellow plus button. Tap the plus button to select a category in which the new tool will be added. After you select a category, you can choose an icon and a name. If you open the newly created tool, you can change a few settings.

Ensure that you create a template, as this is necessary to create elements within the tool. The tool is now ready for use. Return to your project homepage and add new story elements.

Can I create my own templates?

With a Fortelling Pro subscription, you can create your own tools and templates. Open your project, go to Settings, then Tools, and select the tool for which you wish to create a template.

Once you've pressed the yellow plus button, you can fully customize the template. Start by creating the first category. A pop-up shows a field selector. Ensure that you select an icon and name it correctly. Then select the fields you want to include. You can use the default fields from Fortelling or create your own custom fields. Learn more.

Timeline

How do I use the timeline tool?

A timeline is used to order events and moments in a specific order. It can cover a variety of periods, such as a conversation, a war logbook, or historical events from a book. It's a very powerful tool for arranging items in a specific order. Learn more.

Can I create multiple timelines?

Yes, it is possible to create multiple timelines within Fortelling. Tap the big yellow plus button in the list view to create a new timeline.

What is the difference between an event and a moment?

A moment is a specific point in time. This can be described as a timestamp (16:15), a date (28th of January), or a very short description of your liking (Era of the Talis). An event is a description of what happens during a moment. This can be anything you can come up with, for example, the coronation of a new queen.

Links

What are the 'links' between story elements?

All story elements can be linked together. You can use links to describe the relationship between two things. Try to describe a link in 1 or 2 words. The perspective field allows you to add more depth to the relationship. How does item A see item B?

How do I create a link between 2 story elements?

Open one of the story elements you'd like to link. Tap the link button and select the other story element. Fill in the form that appears and save it.

Can I switch the story elements once a link is created?

It is possible to replace a story element with another one in an active link. 1) Open the link. 2) Press the edit button. 2) Select the image in the header. 3) Select a new story element. Learn more.

Boards

How can boards help me keep track of all the elements in my novel?

How do I move an element?

How can I resize an element?

How can I prevent an element from being moved or removed?

How can I create a link between elements?

How many links can exist between 2 elements?

How can I recenter a link bubble?

How do I add a description to an image?

How do I use the sticky notes?

How does multi-select work?

Labels

How do I use the label tool?

How can I create a new label?

Files & images

Books & chapters

How do I reshuffle my books?

What file types can I export to?

What file types can I import?

What if I import an already existing chapter?

Can I write offline?

What are merge conflicts?

Can I save my writing locally?

Does the chapter editor auto-save?

How do I use the chapter status?

How is my writing streak calculated?

Collaboration

How do I add team members?

Where do I enter a collaboration code?

Can I transfer my admin rights?

What can a user with reading access do?

What can a user with write access do?

How do I determine who can see which elements?

Can I create custom roles?

Can I allow users only to read my chapters?

How can I leave a collaborative project?

What happens when I delete a collaborative project?

Public wiki

What is a public wiki?

How do I turn my project in a wiki?

How do I manage what elements are public?

Fortelling app

Can I revert to an earlier version of the app?

Unfortunately, this is not possible due to technical limitations.

How do I know what version I'm on?

Open the app menu and scroll to the bottom, your version and build number should be there.

How do I access the web version?

Visit the following link using your browser on your desktop: https://web.fortelling.app Learn more.

Is the web version free?

The Fortelling web version is part of Fortelling Pro. You'll need a subscription to access it. However, all our basic mobile tools are free, with no limits.

Is there an installable desktop version?

There is no native installable version of Fortelling. However, you can install the web app as a PWA on your desktop.

How can I change the language of Fortelling?

Open the app menu and select "Language". Fortelling supports 13 different languages. Learn more.

Can I contribute translations in my own language?

At Fortelling, we crowdsource and verify the app's translations through our community. Don't see your language in the list? Join the translation team!

Currently, our translation platform is unavailable. You can reach out to us via email to sign up for the translators team. [email protected]

Does Fortelling support dark mode?

Yes, we know most writers are night owls, and we don't want to hurt your eyes. Go to homepage -> menu -> theme

Can I use Fortelling offline?

Fortelling is an online-first application. Some features are available offline (e.g., creating, updating, and deleting story elements), while others are only accessible online (e.g., creating projects and collaborating). Make sure to go online periodically, before the cache runs out, to prevent data loss.

We're doing our best to offer all functionalities offline in the future, but as an indie developer, this is a huge task.

How many people are working on this app?

Fortelling Pro

How do I upgrade to Fortelling Pro?

Why is Fortelling a subscription?

Is there a difference between a monthly and an annual subscription?

Is there a one-time payment option instead of a subcription?

Can I use my subscription on multiple devices?

Can I share my subscription with others?

Is there a student plan?

How do I cancel my subscription?

My account

How do I logout?

Open the app menu, tap on your account banner, and select the three vertical dots at the top right. Finally, select logout.

Homepage > Menu > My Account > Logout

How can I change my password?

You cannot change your password if you used a social login like Google or Apple Sign-in.

Open the app menu, tap on your account banner, and select the three vertical dots at the top right. Open the edit account page and select "Change password".

Homepage > Menu > My Account > Edit Account > Change password

How can I change my email?

You cannot change your email if you used a social login like Google or Apple Sign-in.

Open the app menu, tap on your account banner, and select the three vertical dots at the top right. Open the edit account page and select "Change email".

Homepage > Menu > My Account > Edit Account > Change email

How can I delete my account?

Sorry to see you go. If we can help you with something, please email us at [email protected].

Homepage> Menu > My Account > Edit Account > Delete account

How can I get verified?

The verified status is for exceptional users of Fortelling. Participate in challenges and provide constructive feedback through comments. This way, you might get verified one day. It is not possible to pay for a verified status ;)

Writing challenges

Why should I participate in challenges?

When are new challenges published?

Are there certain rules for submissions?

How can I report unsettling challenge submissions?

How can I share my stories with people who are not on Fortelling?

Support

What's the best way to contact you?

We're very active on Discord and Telegram. Feel free to stop by for a chat! However, the best way to receive a private and in-depth answer to your questions is to send an email: [email protected]

Are you open for feature requests?

Absolutely! We put the community at the center of Fortelling. It's a tool by writers for writers. However, there's only one developer working on the app, so it may take a bit before we can implement your request. Nothing is set in stone.

How can I report a bug?

Fortelling has a built-in bug-reporting tool. We encourage you to use this tool, as it also sends us more relevant debug information. You can find the tool in the menu (Homepage > Menu > Report Bug). Please share your email address with us so we can contact you for a follow-up.