Rules

About the Rules

  1. Overview

    We've developed a set of content and behavior standards to ensure our community runs smoothly and adheres to these values. No set of guidelines can cover every scenario and we expect all members to follow the spirit of the rules.

    Penalties for breaking our community standards can be anything from a simple warning to a temporary or permanent ban.

    These guidelines will be updated as needed, so please be sure to check back often.

Content Rules

  1. Treat all community members with kindness and respect.

    While disagreements may arise, we expect conflict to be handled in a mature and civilized manner. Avoid trolling, rudeness, condescending, flaming, spamming, or any other type of rude or abusive behavior.

  2. No cursing or profanity.

    Please keep it classy.

  3. Explicit content is not permitted.

    Explicit depictions of violent, gory or sexual scenes are against our guidelines. Content must not exceed a PG type rating.

  4. No spamming.

    Do not use our site to spam, promote, link, or otherwise advertise goods or services (with which you are affiliated) without prior permission and consent from our administrator. Please view our full advertising policy for details.

  5. All content posted must adhere to traditional Christian values and standards.

    While the following topics may be discussed or included in stories as a "cautionary tale," we do not accept material that promotes homosexual behavior, promiscuity, gender confusion, racism, sexism, violence, abortion, blasphemy, drug or alcohol abuse, abusive behavior and cruelty, or other topics that are contrary to traditional Christian values.

  6. Avoid controversial topics and debate.

    Our community is a place where we can come together for fellowship in Christ, across denominations, in peace and unity. Please avoid topics that are controversial or divisive. If a topic becomes heated it will be closed down.

    One topic that often stirs strong emotions is debates over Christian doctrine. While understanding and discussing doctrine is very important in one's Christian journey, our site is not the correct venue for these types of debates. Please take potentially divisive discussions to a site built for that purpose.
Formatting Rules

  1. Use our standard font

    Any content you post (or paste) must use our site's default font, format and colors.

    The only exceptions to this rule are items posted for critique. Members suggesting edits may use highlights, colored text and strike-through to better communicate the edits.

  2. Use proper capitalization.

    Do not post in all caps. This is understood by many to be "shouting" and considered very rude. Please use correct title or sentence case.

  3. Use an extra carriage return between paragraphs.

    Using an extra carriage return between paragraphs makes material much easier to read online.
Advertising Policy

  1. Our Advertising Policy

    Don't you love visiting a site filled with ads and spam? Neither do we! We work hard to keep ads to a minimum on our community. This includes any kind of plugs, promotion, critique requests, or links to your work, site, or services. The only allowable exceptions are:

    • Established members may use the plugs and promos section or their member profile and status feed to notify other members of their current projects and successes. However, these mentions should keep with the tone of the site and shouldn't be excessive or spammy.

    • If you are looking for a partner for collaboration on a project or wish to offer your help to other members, you can post a notice in our Jobs & Project Connections section.

    • Publishers and other content providers are encouraged to post information regarding their organization's writing opportunities in our Jobs & Project Connections section.

    • If you want to advertise your project or service beyond what is permitted above, please contact us to discuss advertising rates.
Critique & Feedback Section

  1. Critique Forum Rules

    There are some special rules for the critique forum. They are:

    • If you are requesting a critique, be sure to leave critiques for other members, too. You are required to leave at least two critiques for every one critique you request. This will help ensure everyone receives a response to their request.

    • Be sure to leave quality critiques for other writers. We suggest highlighting what you like about the piece, what may need improvement, and other specific comments that will be helpful in improving their work. Simply leaving a generic comment (such as, "good," or a smiley face) doesn't count as a reciprocal critique.

    • Keep your tone diplomatic, helpful, and encouraging.

    • Copy and paste your work directly within your request. Attachments and/or external links are not permitted.

    • Each excerpt posted for request must be no longer than 2,500 words or 20,000 characters, whichever is less. Character count includes spaces and punctuation.

    • At the beginning of your post, leave instructions on what type of focus you're looking for. Are you looking for a grammar check, line by line critique, or just general feedback? Be specific so others know where they should focus.

    • If you'd like to keep your work and/or feedback, be sure to save it locally to your own computer. We only save this information for a limited time and cannot guarantee its future availability.

    If you have any questions regarding these policies, please post them in member support and we'll be happy to help.

Questions, Suggestions, and Support

  1. Post questions or suggestions in the proper spot.

    Questions about the rules, how our site operates, suggestions for new features, technical support, and others issues should be posted in the suggestions and support section. Please do not direct message the staff with these types of questions.

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