Get Underway

Welcome to TaleBait.com. Catch and create the freshest fiction on the net!

Kickstart your creativity at TaleBait.com, a safe harbor for writers seeking literary inspiration and advice from other scribblers. Readers and writers collaborate to create continuous stories on Hooks & Storylines, rating each others' work and selecting "keepers." Chart your own course in Open Water, where you tell your stories your way. Invite critiques, comments, and collaboration. Drop a Line on the Captain's Blog or brag on Angler News. Enjoy the Catch of the Day.TaleBait.com, where writers spark their imaginations and create inventive fiction,one bite at a time.  

Passengers & visitors just surfing by—no log in required.

• Join in the fun by trolling TaleBait’s Hooks & Storylines, Open Water, and the Captain’s Blog.
• Rate the Hooks & Storyline entries. Select the buttons next to an entry to express your opinion. Rate Live Bait entries anytime.
• Chart a storyline’s course. Weigh In – vote on one of three submissions for the permanent storyline. Select Keeper to indicate your preference, one vote per story per day please.

Anglers (writers)—sign up and log in.

• Get on Board to sign up.
• Cast a Line to suggest a new hook. Hooks & Storylines are moderated, so new hooks are submitted to the Skipper; they do not automatically appear on the site. Use Open Water to launch your story immediately.
  
• Drop a Line to contact the Skipper.

Hooks & Storylines

• TaleBait’s Skipper initiates a collaborative continuous storyline by posting a new Hook.
• You write the next installment. Select I’ll Bite.
• The latest installment shows below the Hook. Select "show all of the story so far" to see the complete storyline.
• Submissions are limited to about 50 to 650 words. If your submission is too short or too long, you will be prompted to make a change. (Currently, we are experiencing some issues with pasting text into the text boxes, especially on Firefox.)
  
• Your submission will appear on your Angler Profile page.
• Skipper selects three submissions to post for Weigh In.
• When your submission is selected for Weigh In you will be notified by email.
• The Keeper moves into the permanent storyline, and the process repeats. (Live Bait – I’ll Bite – Weigh In – Keeper – Live Bait)
• The process continues until Skipper posts Reel It In.
• Submissions not selected as keepers will automatically appear on the Angler’s personal page in Open Water.
• Anglers may submit entries to multiple storylines multiple times, but you can’t Bite on your own Live Bait.

Open Water

• Chart your own course on Open Water.
• Get On Board and an Angler Profile will be generated.
• Click your user name in the upper right hand log in area to go to your profile page.
• Submissions to TaleBait Hooks & Storylines appear on your profile page automatically.
• Write and post your own complete stories.
• Select a category in Open Water to begin a new story.
• Critique, comment, and collaborate.
•  Edit your Angler Profile page any time.
• Rate stories by selecting a number of stars.
• Roll cursor over categories to see stories, or click on category to open it.

Captain’s Blog

• Join in a discussion with the Skipper and other Anglers.
• Share your experience and thoughts on writing.
• Anonymous comments are welcome. No Google or Blogspot account required to post a comment. Include your Angler name in the comment text box.