Reading and Navigating Stories

Reading and navigating stories

A CHYOA story page combines the current chapter with information about the whole story and the choices that continue the current branch.

Check the story details

Open About in the story sidebar to see the synopsis, point of view, category, language, story mode, publication information, author or contributors, and story tags. The sidebar also shows totals such as likes, views, favorites, bookmarks, chapters, and comments.

Some stories add other tabs:

• Customize lets you change reader details used in a customizable story.
• Game state shows saved values, inventory, and Game Mode controls.

On a narrow screen, open the story-details control to reveal the sidebar.

Follow a branch

Read the chapter, then find the chapter's question and continuation choices below it. Choose the title of the next chapter you want to read.

A story may show:

• several choices, each leading to a different branch;
• one continuation;
• No further chapters when that branch currently ends;
• an unavailable choice in an active game when your current state does not meet its condition.

If the story accepts contributions and you are allowed to add one, Add a new chapter appears with the continuation choices.

By default, each continuation keeps the familiar title-only appearance. Select Customize choices to open your Chapter choices settings. You can enable either or both of these details:

• Show chapter authors with choices adds the name of the member who wrote each available next chapter.
• Show branch depth with choices shows the longest route beneath each choice, beginning with the next chapter. A choice with no chapter after it shows 1 chapter ahead; a longer route may show, for example, Up to 3 chapters ahead. A Link Chapter does not show branch depth because it sends you to another part of the story.

These extra details are hidden until you enable them, and your selection applies whenever you read while signed in. Customize choices remains visible while you are signed out, but asks you to before changing the settings.

Go back or start over

Choose Back to return to the parent chapter in ordinary reading. In an active game, Back returns to a recent saved game step and restores the state from that step.

Choose Start Over to return to the first chapter. During an active game, it also resets the game so the story's initial values and first-chapter changes begin again.

These controls are safer for navigation than the browser's Back button because they follow the story branch and, in Game Mode, update saved progress correctly.

Use the Story Map

Signed-in readers can choose View Story Map to browse the story's branch structure. The map can be sorted by Branch order, Recently published, or Recently updated.

Use Go to current or the locate control to find the chapter you opened the map from. Unread, updated, and current markers help you see what has changed. You can also mark the story as read or unread.

Opening a chapter from the map changes where you are browsing. In an active game, CHYOA keeps you on the game's current valid path rather than letting the map by its conditions.

Save your place

Use the bookmark icon to save the current chapter and the star icon to add the whole story to Favorite Stories. Adding either one requires a fully active . If your is waiting for email confirmation or review, you can still remove a favorite or bookmark saved earlier, but you cannot add a new one yet.

• A bookmark is best for returning to one exact branch.
• A favorite is best for keeping the whole story in your library and noticing updates.

On a tablet or larger screen, open the Favorites star in the header to browse the list without leaving the current page. More favorites load automatically as you scroll toward the bottom, and Show all opens the complete page. Favorite Stories remains in the profile menu as a fallback and is the way to open the list on a phone; Bookmarks is also in that menu.

Like, comment, or report

Choose Like below a chapter to show appreciation. Choose Comments to read the current chapter's discussion or comments from across the story, post your own comment, or reply to another reader.

If the chapter may violate the Content Rules, open Chapter actions, choose Report chapter, and describe the issue. Do not use reports for ordinary differences in taste or writing style.