Are you a writer looking for a new platform to plan, write, and share your stories?
Look no further than Campfire Writing. As a writer with 25 years of experience and hundreds of published works under my belt, I’ve tried countless writing tools and platforms.
In this post, I’ll share 7 things you need to know about Campfire Writing and why it might just become your new favorite writing app.
What Is Campfire Writing? (Explained)
Campfire Writing is an online writing platform that helps you plan, write, and share your stories.
It’s designed to make the writing process more enjoyable and collaborative.
With Campfire, you can create detailed character profiles, build intricate world maps, and organize your story’s timeline – all in one place.
One of the things that sets Campfire apart from other writing platforms is its focus on world-building.
Whether you’re writing a fantasy epic or a contemporary drama, Campfire’s world-building tools allow you to create a rich and immersive setting for your story.
You can create detailed profiles for your characters, complete with backstories, motivations, and physical descriptions.
You can also build interactive maps of your story’s world, complete with landmarks, regions, and travel routes.
Is Campfire Writing Free?
Yes, Campfire Writing offers a free plan that includes access to all the essential features you need to start writing your story.
However, if you want access to all of the features, you’ll have to sign up for a paid plan.
Campfire Writing offers a unique and modular approach to pricing, allowing users to customize their experience by choosing only the modules they need.
In my opinion, this flexibility is a standout feature of their platform, catering especially to fiction writers, with a particular focus on those creating within the fantasy and sci-fi genres.
- Basic Offering: The software provides an array of 17 modules catering to various aspects of story creation, such as Characters, Manuscript, Locations, Maps, Timeline, and more. This modular system is designed to assist with detailed worldbuilding and storytelling, making it especially suitable for fantasy and sci-fi writers.
- Pricing Structure: Campfire Writing employs a scalable pricing model. You can start with a free version that includes a capped word limit, and then opt to pay for additional modules as needed. This means you can tailor your subscription based on the specific tools you use, ranging from character development to world mapping.
- Specific Costs: Some of the more affordable modules start at $0.25 per month. For instance, if you choose the Manuscript module for unlimited words, bypassing the free version’s 25,000-word cap, it would cost $1.50 per month, $15 per year, or $45 for a lifetime license.
This approach not only offers a high degree of customization but also means you’re not paying for functionalities you don’t need.
By the way, the flexibility extends to accessing Campfire Writing through web browsers or downloadable apps for Mac and Windows
Is Campfire Writing Good?
As someone who has tested Campfire Writing extensively, I can confidently say that it’s an excellent writing platform.
The user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, and the features are designed to help you stay organized and focused on your writing.
Plus, the ability to collaborate with other writers in real-time is a game-changer.
Now, I also think that you don’t NEED to use Campfire to write your story. You can do that easily (and freely) with a pen and paper or a basic writing app like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
One of the things I love about Campfire, though, is how it streamlines the writing process.
Instead of juggling multiple documents and apps, everything you need is right there in one place. You can easily switch between your story’s outline, character profiles, and world map without ever leaving the app.
And because everything is stored in the cloud, you can access your story from anywhere, on any device.
Another thing that sets Campfire apart is its community.
Good luck trying to start a community on Microsoft Word.
The Campfire platform has a thriving community of writers who share their work, offer feedback, and collaborate on projects.
Whether you’re looking for beta readers or just want to connect with other writers, Campfire’s community is a great place to start.
Campfire Writing App
One of the best things about Campfire Writing is that it’s available as a web app, so you can access it from any device with an internet connection.
That’s helpful if you’re often in travel mode, writing on your laptop at home and then jotting down ideas on your phone during your commute.
Campfire makes it easy to stay connected to your story.
The Campfire Writing app is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive. The interface is clean and uncluttered, with a minimalist design that puts the focus on your writing.
The app is divided into three main sections: the dashboard, the story editor, and the world-building tools.
Easy peasy.
The dashboard is where you can access all your stories and collaborate with other writers. From here, you can create new stories, view your existing ones, and see any stories that have been shared with you.
You can also access the community forums and writing prompts from the dashboard.
The story editor is where the magic happens. This is where you’ll do most of your writing and editing.
The editor is a simple, distraction-free space that allows you to focus on your words.
You can easily format your text, add images and videos, and even embed other media like tweets or Instagram posts.
Finally, the world-building tools are where you’ll create and organize all the elements of your story’s world.
That’s one of my favorite parts of the entire platform.
This includes character profiles, location maps, timelines, and more. The world-building tools are incredibly powerful and customizable, allowing you to create a truly unique and immersive world for your story.
Can You Write a Book With Campfire?
Absolutely! Campfire Writing is designed to support writers through every stage of the writing process, from outlining and world-building to drafting and revising.
Whether you’re writing a short story or a full-length novel, Campfire has the tools you need to bring your story to life.
One of the things that makes Campfire so well-suited for writing books is its outlining and timeline features.
With Campfire, you can create a detailed outline of your story, complete with chapter breakdowns and scene descriptions.
You can also create a timeline of your story’s events, which can be incredibly helpful for keeping track of complex plots and character arcs.
Another great feature for book writers that I really like is Campfire’s goal-setting and progress-tracking tools.
You can set word count goals for each writing session, and Campfire will track your progress and show you how close you are to reaching your goal.
You can also set long-term goals for your book, like a target completion date or total word count.
How to Use Campfire Writing
Getting started with Campfire Writing is easy.
Simply create an account, choose a template for your story (or create your own), and start writing.
As you write, you can use Campfire’s world-building tools to create detailed character profiles, build interactive maps of your story’s world, and keep track of your story’s timeline.
One of the first things you’ll want to do when starting a new story in Campfire is to create your characters.
Campfire’s character profile tool allows you to create detailed profiles for each of your characters, including their physical appearance, backstory, motivations, and relationships with other characters.
You can even add images and other media to your character profiles to help bring them to life.
Next, you’ll want to start building your story’s world.
Campfire’s world-building tools allow you to create interactive maps of your story’s setting, complete with landmarks, regions, and travel routes.
You can also create timelines of your story’s events, which can be helpful for keeping track of complex plots and character arcs.
Once you’ve created your characters and world, it’s time to start writing your story.
Campfire’s story editor is a simple, distraction-free space that allows you to focus on your words.
As you write, you can easily reference your character profiles and world map to ensure consistency and accuracy.
For a full tutorial on how to use Campfire, you really can’t beat this video from the official Campfire YouTube channel:
Campfire Writing Alternatives
While Campfire Writing is an excellent choice for many writers, it’s not the only option out there.
Here are a few other popular writing platforms to consider:
- Scrivener: Scrivener is a powerful writing app that’s popular among novelists and screenwriters. It offers a wide range of features, including outlining tools, a corkboard for organizing scenes, and a distraction-free writing mode.
- Ulysses: Ulysses is a minimalist writing app that’s designed to help you focus on your words. It offers a clean, uncluttered interface and a range of organizational tools, including the ability to create writing goals and track your progress.
- Novlr: Novlr is a cloud-based writing app that’s designed specifically for novel writers. It offers a range of features, including a distraction-free writing mode, a built-in outlining tool, and the ability to collaborate with other writers in real-time.
However, what sets Campfire apart is its focus on collaboration and world-building – features that many other writing apps lack.
With Campfire, you can easily collaborate with other writers in real-time, share your work for feedback, and build detailed, immersive worlds for your stories.
Final Thoughts: Campfire Writing
Writing a great story takes time, effort, and dedication – but with the right tools and support, anything is possible.
Campfire Writing is an excellent choice for writers who want to take their craft to the next level, with powerful world-building tools, collaborative features, and a vibrant community of fellow storytellers.
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