Welcome to TrashWriters!

Updated: December 20, 2020

Welcome to Trashwriters - a place for people who love to write and share. Trashwriters is a community and an online platform aiming to foster collaboration among writers, readers and editors. It is a place where you can read, write or contribute to others’ stories.

How do I become a writer?

To become a writer, you need to sign up for a TrashWriters account and provide your username, email address and password. After submitting your details, you should receive an email with an activation link. Click on the link to go back to TrashWriters.com, where you can start your writing adventure.

Who can join TrashWriters?

TrashWriters welcomes any person who wants share their writing and collaborate with others. There are no specific requirements as to who can can join us as long as you are respectful and kind!

Do I need to be a writer to enjoy TrashWriters?

No, you can also take a more passive role, and simply read others’ stories or suggest your edits. Once you feel ready, you can start your own writing.

How do I write my first story?

To write your first story, click on the ‘Write’ button on the navigation bar. You will be then taken to a separate page, where you can start your first paragraph or, as we like to call it, your first scrap.

Aim to write more than 180 but less than 200 words. Once you’re happy with your writing, click on submit and you wil be asked to give your story a title. You now will be able to go back to edit your scrap or you can keep building your story.

What is the difference between a story and a scrap?

A story is just a collection of scraps. Currently a story can consist of up to 10 scraps, each with a maximum of 200 words. Think of a scrap as a paragraph.

At the moment you can only add your own scraps to your story, but in the future you will be able to ‘borrow’ and edit scraps of other writers. It means that one scrap, or its modification, can be appear in more than one story.

Can I keep my stories private?

Yes. After you submit your scrap, you will have an option to keep it private. You will be the only one who can see it unless you later select to make it public.

We are currently also working as an option where you can share your scraps or stories with a selected number of people. That way you can ask your trusted writers or editors to contribute to your stories before releasing it to the public.

Bear in mind, that if you make your story or scrap public, any modifications of your writing will be kept public even if you switch the story or scrap back to the private mode. Your original writing (before any edits from other writers) will remain private.

How do I collaborate with other writers?

You can contribute to other writers’ stories by clicking on ‘Collaborate’ in the navigation bar. This is where you will see a selection of random scraps. Once you click on ‘edit’ link, you can propose your own changes and modifications.

When you have submitted your writing, it will be sent to the original writer for approval.

In the future you will also be able to contribute to others’ stories by adding your scarps to their stories.

Who owns the story? How much control over my stories do I have?

Currently, the original writer of a scrap or a story is its owner. That means that although anyone can propose an edit, the original autor will have a final say on whether the proposal has been approved or rejected. The owner can control their stories via a ‘Notifications’ page.

In the future, any public scrap can be ‘borrowed’ and used for other story. In this case, a scrap may have more than one owner.

Please bear in mind that, as per our Terms of Use, your public scraps and stories are subject to Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. As specified in the licence, your public content can be shared and adapted as long it is properly attributed and it is distributed under the same licence as the original. Please note that the licence allows commercial use as long as such use is compliant with its terms.

Can I share my stories?

Yes, you can and you are encouraged to share yours and others’ stories. Just copy the page link from your address bar and paste it in your social media or email it to your friends.

Please remember that, as per our Terms of Use, if you share any scrap or story publically (e.g. on your website or blog), you need to reference it with its unique TrashWriters’ URL link.

Can I help?

Yes you can! As this is a project that relies on as much collaboration as possible, we would love to hear your feedback and suggestions. We promise to read and respond to every message, so get in touch with any questions.

Sign up and start your story today - we are looking forward to welcoming you aboard!

Jacek - the Chief TrashWriter