Writing Guidelines
Chapter is home to every kind of story. These guidelines keep the platform safe, welcoming, and enjoyable for readers and writers alike.
Our philosophy
We believe storytelling should be open to everyone. Writers on Chapter can explore complex, mature, and challenging themes, as long as the content is tagged honestly and respects the boundaries below. Great stories often push limits; these guidelines make sure they do so responsibly. Sometimes that means a story is not right for Chapter, and that’s okay.
Audience ratings
Every story on Chapter carries an audience rating. Readers rely on these labels to find content that matches their comfort level, so picking the right one is important. Mislabeling (tagging Mature content as Teen, for example) may result in your story being re-rated or removed. We also run manual reviews of stories from time to time to make sure they're rated correctly.
Teen
Stories appropriate for readers roughly 13 and up. Emotional depth and meaningful conflict are encouraged. Teen does not mean shallow.
What's welcome
- Romance with emotional depth: kissing, crushes, and attraction are fine
- Action, conflict, and moderate peril without graphic gore
- Themes of identity, social pressure, and mental health, handled thoughtfully
- Mild language (avoid strong profanity or hateful slurs)
- Nuanced friendships, family dynamics, and coming-of-age stories
What's not allowed
- Explicit sexual content (keep intimacy implied or off-page)
- Graphic or gratuitous violence
- Themes that are excessively dark or disturbing for a teen audience
- Glorification of substance abuse or self-harm
Mature
Stories for adult readers. Mature stories can explore the full range of human experience (darkness, complexity, explicit content) within the hard limits below.
What's welcome
- Explicit romantic and sexual content between adult characters, as part of a larger story
- Dark themes: trauma, addiction, moral ambiguity, war
- Graphic violence where it serves the story's narrative
- Strong language and adult dialogue
- Complex moral dilemmas without easy resolutions
Hard limits (never allowed)
- Sexual content involving minors (characters under 18) in any form
- Real persons depicted in sexual or defamatory scenarios
- Content that glorifies, promotes, or instructs real-world violence or terrorism
- Hate speech targeting race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexuality
- Non-consensual scenarios presented approvingly or eroticized
Universal rules
These apply to every story on the platform, regardless of audience rating.
Stories come first
Chapter is a place for stories. Mature stories can include sex scenes, but they must be part of a larger story with real characters, a plot, and development. Content that is mainly or only sexual, like a string of sex scenes with little story around them, is not allowed on Chapter, even when rated Mature. A simple test: if you took out the sex scenes, would there still be a story worth reading?
No promotion or advertising
Chapter is a storytelling platform, not a marketplace. Stories may not promote products, services, other platforms, crowdfunding campaigns, or personal social media. In-story product placement or sponsorship deals are not permitted.
Respect intellectual property
Do not upload content that copies or plagiarizes someone else's published work. Fan fiction that transforms the source material and credits its origins is welcome; wholesale reproduction is not.
Use content warnings
If your story contains potentially triggering content (graphic violence, depictions of abuse, eating disorders, suicide, or sexual assault) add a content warning at the start of the relevant chapter. This lets readers make informed choices without limiting what you can write about.
Be a good community member
Harassment, bullying, doxxing, and targeted abuse (in stories, comments, or messages) are grounds for immediate account action. Critique stories, not people.
Tips for getting readers
Guidelines aside, here are practical tips that help stories find their audience on Chapter.
Hook early
Your first chapter is your storefront. Open with a moment that makes the reader need to know what happens next: a question, a conflict, a voice they can't ignore.
Keep chapters digestible
Most Chapter readers are on their phones. Chapters between 1,500 and 3,000 words tend to perform well: long enough to feel satisfying, short enough for a commute or a break.
Write a great blurb
Your story's description is the first thing readers see after the cover. Tell them who the story is about, what's at stake, and why they should care, in three to five sentences.
Publish consistently
Readers who follow serialized stories expect regular updates. Set a pace you can sustain (weekly, biweekly, even monthly) and stick with it. Consistency builds a readership.
What happens if guidelines are violated
Every chapter is automatically screened when you publish it. If that screening flags something, the chapter is held back and a human moderator reviews it by hand before it goes live — publishing may be briefly delayed while that happens. Beyond this automated check, we also review reports from readers and may review published content proactively. Depending on the severity of a violation:
- Re-rating: a mislabeled story may be moved to the correct audience rating.
- Content removal: specific chapters or stories that breach the guidelines may be unpublished.
- Account suspension: repeated or severe violations (including any hard-limit breach) may result in a temporary or permanent ban.
If you believe your content was removed in error, you can appeal through the app. We'll review it and get back to you.
Ready to write?
Download Chapter, create a writer account, and publish your first chapter. Your readers are waiting.
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