Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
Getting Started with Campfire
Your Account & Preferences
Writing on Campfire
Improve Your Craft on Campfire
Read or Self-Publish on Campfire
The Campfire Desktop App
The CF Creators Mobile App
Privacy & Safety
Fix or Report a Problem
Contact Us
Still need help? Email us, or join our community Discord and we'll be in touch!
Getting Started with Campfire
What is Campfire?
Campfire is a place to write, plan, and share your stories. Work on your projects, get inspired and learn about the craft of writing with our videos and blog, or join the community and read stories they’re writing!What do I need an account for?
You can browse our blog and any published projects on Campfire without an account, but if you would like to use Campfire’s writing tools, save a bookshelf of your favorite stories, or leave comments, you’ll need to sign up.Is Campfire free?
Campfire is free to sign up for, no credit card required. However, should you decide you want unlimited access to any writing modules, or if you’d like to purchase stories and bonus content from authors published on Campfire (coming soon), associated fees will apply.How do I use Campfire?
We recommend reading the tutorials on our blog as needed, but if you still can’t find the answers you're looking for, feel free to join our Discord community or email us!What is the difference between Write, Read, and Learn?
Campfire's main navigation is divided into three sections: Write, Read, and Learn.Write is where you’ll do all of your writing and publishing.
Read is where you can find our community’s self-published work. Every project is vetted and approved by our team, and created in Campfire.
Finally, Learn is the home for our blog and YouTube videos. Check it out for inspiration, writing tips, and detailed tutorials on Campfire.
How often is Campfire Updated?
Our team tries to provide monthly updates. Depending on what we’re doing at the time, we may do more or less than that, but rest assured we’ll be working to improve it for the foreseeable future.Who is the team behind Campfire?
Campfire was started by CEO Jason Louro, who wanted a better way to organize his ideas for a story. He got a little carried away, and soon Campfire was a small company with several artists, writers, and other creative professionals all working together.I’ve heard of Campfire Blaze and Campfire Pro, what are they?
Campfire Blaze was a browser application similar to what Campfire is today. Since we launched this website, Blaze has been shut down, and everything people created on it transferred here. So, if you came from Blaze, you can visit the Write tab to find all of your work.Campfire Pro was our first product, a desktop application also made to help writers organize their work. It still works for those who already purchased it, but we’re no longer updating it with new features, and it's no longer available for purchase.
If you’re transferring work from Pro, export your project from Pro first. Open the Campfire Pro app and, in the top-right drop-down menu, select the option “Export Story to Blaze.” Then, create a new project in Write and select “Import from Campfire Pro.”
Your Account & Preferences
Is my Campfire account Private?
Your account is public by default, but all of your projects are private. Most of the time, other users can only find your account if you have shared it with them, or if you have projects published on Campfire. Work that you publish publicly on Campfire will appear on your profile.Do you have a dark theme?
We do! You can update the site’s appearance by going to your account settings. Also, if you want to customize the look of your projects, you can create custom themes for them in the theme editor and apply them to your stories.How much storage space does my account have?
It’s pretty much unlimited. However, images larger than 10MB may be compressed.How do I purchase a writing module?
Purchase a subscription to a module, or buy a module for life, from the Subscriptions & Billing section of your account page. Both options give you unlimited access to a module.Can I change my payment information?
If your preferred payment method has changed, go to Subscriptions & Billing. If you’ve already purchased some modules, you’ll see a button in the top-right that reads “Manage Billing.” If you haven’t purchased anything yet, you’ll be asked to add your information when you make your first purchase.What’s your refund policy?
You can request a refund within 30 days for lifetime purchases and annual subscriptions to receive your money back, no questions asked! Monthly subscriptions are non-refundable.Writing on Campfire
What is Write?
Write comprises our suite of writing and worldbuilding modules to help you plan out and write your stories. Use it to keep track of and organize your work, collaborate with others, and get that story finished! To do this, you’ll create projects, which are filled with elements (like characters, locations, and chapters), that are themselves filled with highly customizable panels (which create text fields, charts, store images, and more). You’ll need an account with Campfire to access Write.How do I create a project?
Once you’ve logged on, go to the Write Home page and click the “New Project” button. If you’re creating something brand new, select “Create a New Project” from the menu that appears. If the new project you’re making is connected to another one you’ve made, you might consider “Create a New Linked Project.”How do I invite people to view or collaborate on my projects?
There are two ways to do this. If you want to share the entire project, click the “More” button in the top-right of the project’s card (from the Write homepage) and select “Share Project” → “Add People.” A menu will appear where you can add other Campfire users if you know their email or username associated with their account.If you prefer, you can enable Link Sharing instead. Note that link sharing only allows people to view the project. If you want to give people editing access, they’ll need an account. However, with link sharing, the people you show your project won’t require an account.
You can also share individual elements. To do this, go to File → “Share Element.” You’ll be able to add your friends’ accounts, enable link sharing, or export the file from here!
Do my collaborators need to buy Campfire to work on my project?
No. You can invite collaborators to directly view, comment on, or edit content in a project so long as they have a free Campfire account. However, when an editor creates a new element inside of a shared project, they will be prompted to choose whether the element should belong to their account or to the project owner. Whoever has the element in their library is its owner, and that person’s purchases will apply.I’ve run out of elements in a module, what does that mean?
While you’re using the free version of a module, you have a limit to the number of elements you can create in it. For example, you can make up to ten characters for free. To make any more than ten, you’ll need to subscribe to the Characters Module, or purchase it with a lifetime subscription. You can check how close you are to the free trial limits at any time in the Subscriptions & Billing page. We’ll also give you a little warning if you’re getting close to or have reached your limit!Why can’t I write on my phone?
We have a separate mobile app for authors! It's available for free, and connects to your existing Campfire account so that you can refer to your notes, add to them, and more from anywhere!I can’t find an element, where is it?
First, make sure you’re in Write, then search for the element by name. If you still can’t find it, check your Library. You can access this by clicking the account icon in the top-right and selecting “Element Library.” Everything you’ve made—for every project—is stored here. If you delete a project, not all of its elements are removed, so sometimes they’ll end up in the Library unassigned to anything else.Will Campfire let me write in languages other than English?
While Campfire's interface is currently only available in English, the spellchecker uses your browser settings. On the desktop application, you can set the spellcheck language in your account settings, but it defaults to your computer's locale.How do I give Campfire as a gift?
You can give any number of Campfire modules as a gift to the writer(s) in your life. Visit our Gifting page and select a premade gift package, or build your own. After purchasing a gift, you'll be able to email the gift code directly to the recipient or save a PDF with the code on it.Improve Your Craft on Campfire
What is Learn?
Learn is where we post all of our videos, podcasts, articles, guides, and other similar content. If you’re looking for something specific, try searching for it by name or topic!Can I submit an article to Campfire Learn?
Yes! We’re always interested in written articles that promote communication, education, and inspiration in other writers through relaying their experiences. You can learn more about what we’ll accept and how to submit in the post below.Read or Self-Publish on Campfire
What is Explore?
Explore is where stories go when their authors are ready to show them off to the world! Every project is vetted and approved by our team, and created in Campfire. You don’t need an account to check out the public projects on Campfire, but you will to publish your own work.How can I edit my notifications from authors I follow?
You’ll automatically be notified by people you follow. You can unfollow them, or edit your notification preferences in your account settings.How do I self-publish on Campfire?
From your Write Home page, open a project’s three dots More → “Publish on Campfire.” You’ll need to set the project up and select which elements you want to make visible, but otherwise it’s ready to go. Click “Learn More” below for a more in-depth guide to publishing on Campfire.Can I sell my work on Campfire?
Yes! You can sell your story, or extra materials like bonus short stories or behind-the-scenes elements—or both! Even better, 80% of sales go right to the author, at about 10% more than other self-publishing platforms.What kinds of content can be published on Campfire?
You’re able to publish just about anything on Campfire! In our vetting process, we’ll look to make sure that (1) the content is yours, and (2) it is not erotica (there are better places for this type of writing) or fan-fiction (you don’t own the setting/characters in these stories). Despite that, you’re welcome to write these kinds of stories in private on Campfire as much as you like.Otherwise, most anything goes. Just be sure to review our content guidelines below!