For Authors
Everything platform-specific about writing and publishing on Reast. For the Rea language itself, see the Cheatsheet or the full specification; for how to structure and package a story file, see Story Design.
How to Write
Stories are written in Rea — a simple markup language designed for interactive narratives. If you can write a text message, you can write a Rea story. There are no programming concepts to learn upfront — just start typing.
Try it live
Open the Editor and write alongside this guide. The live preview updates as you type, so you see exactly what readers experience.
A valid story is just text. No special syntax required:
Once upon a time, in a land far away,
a young traveler set out on a journey.
The road stretched endlessly before them.Add structure with headings (#) and choices (*) to make it interactive:
# Chapter One
You stand at a crossroads.
* [Go left]
The path winds into a dark forest.
* [Go right]
A bright meadow stretches ahead.
- The wind whispers behind you.For the full set of Rea syntax — variables, conditionals, dialogue, cards, media — see the Cheatsheet.
The built-in editor
The platform ships a browser-based editor with a live preview: write Rea on one side, see exactly what readers will experience on the other. It handles metadata (title, cover, tags, genre), media uploads, and packages the result as a .reast file for you — you never assemble the archive by hand. Prefer a plain text editor instead? See Story Design for authoring a story outside the platform editor and uploading the finished package.
Publishing and visibility
A story you're writing is only visible to you until you choose otherwise. Each story has a visibility setting:
private— visible only to you. The default while a story is a work in progress.unlisted— reachable by anyone with the direct link, but not shown in the catalog or search. Useful for sharing a draft with beta readers.public— listed in the catalog and discoverable by other readers.
Pricing is independent of visibility: a published story can be free, premium (behind a platform subscription), or a one-time paid purchase — see the Glossary for the exact terms.
Your author page
Publishing a story adds it to your author page — a customisable profile showcasing your published works to readers, with basic analytics on how readers engage with each story.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+B | Bold text |
Ctrl+I | Italic text |
Ctrl+S | Save story |
Ctrl+M | Toggle metadata panel |
FAQ
Can I write stories in my own language?
Absolutely. The Rea language is text-based and works with any script or language.
How do GPS and sensor features work?
You can embed location triggers and sensor conditions in your story. When a reader's device meets those conditions (e.g., arriving at a specific GPS coordinate), the story reacts. See the language spec's Real-World Interactions section.
What file format do stories use?
Stories are written in .rea files — plain text with the Rea markup language. The platform packages a story (plus media and metadata) as a .reast archive when you publish; see the engine's package format reference for exactly what's inside one.