Volunteer for StoryBuilder.org
Whether you’re a writer or a developer, we invite you to contribute your skills and enthusiasm to StoryCAD, our free open-source desktop program designed specifically for writers. By volunteering with us, you can help in shaping a tool that brings stories to life.
You’ll also be part of a vibrant community working at the intersection of writing and tech.
Your contribution can help make StoryCAD even better, whether you’re a writer with keen insights on the writing process or a developer looking to hone your skills and create something meaningful. Join us in growing StoryCAD the way stories are written and experienced, one line of prose, or of code – at a time.
We value every contribution to StoryCAD, regardless of your experience level.
We strive for an inclusive and supportive environment, encouraging both writers and developers to help improve our product. Whether you’re a coding novice or a seasoned author, your involvement matters. Here are the sorts of things we need:
If you’re a Writer:
Bugs
Nobody knows a program like the person who uses it the most: not even the guys who wrote it. Everyone who’s ever used buggy program- and they’re all buggy- knows that.
If you find StoryCAD useful, it’s in your interest for it work properly. If you find a bug, please report it by opening an issue. Select New Issue and pick the Bug Report template.
Please provide as much context as possible, and if you want to work on a fix, we’ll be forever grateful! Please try to test around for a bit to make sure you’re dealing with a bug and not an issue in your implementation. If possible, provide a demo which isolates the bug and turns it into its smallest possible representation. That would help a lot!
Suggesting Improvements and Features
Got an outlining itch StoryCAD can’t scratch? Tell us about it, either by opening an issue. Select New Issue and select the Feature Request template).
Alternatively, you can develop your idea by starting a new discussion. We’re always looking to make StoryCAD better.
We’ll try to prioritize new feature development that makes our users happy. Toward that end, we’ll put together a feature voting system soon. The goal is making StoryCAD more usable.
Please provide as much context as possible, and if you want to work on a fix, we’ll be forever grateful! Please try to test around for a bit to make sure you’re dealing with a bug and not an issue in your implementation. If possible, provide a demo which isolates the bug and turns it into its smallest possible representation. That would help a lot!
Add to and correct our lists
One of StoryCAD’s defining characteristics is the thousands of suggestions it offers for hundreds of elements. If you’re looking for an idea, a theme, a subject, a role, a plot twist, a location, or just about anything, you’ll find a a drop-down list full of ideas and examples. They’re there to prevent those pauses when the keyboard stops and you just can’t come up with the thought you need.
No list is perfect, however. Many times when you’re using StoryCAD, you’ll browse a list’s contents and not see what you’re looking for. If the omission is especially glaring, you might pass it along. There’a s channel, list-suggestions, on our Discord server for just that purpose.
Provide New Samples
The samples StoryCAD provides could use some company. If you’re trying to get familiar with StoryCAD, why not pick a favorite novel, short story, television episode, movie or stage play and outline it? The samples work best when the story’s familiar. Star Wars, anyone? This is also a great way to learn to use StoryCAD.
There’s a channel on our Discord server for just that purpose.
The process of creating an outline from prose is deconstruction, and you can learn a lot by taking a story apart. Hint: If you’re having problems, you might take a look at Cliffs Notes. They’re the deconstruction champs.
Documentation
The StoryCAD user manual is maintained in a Scrivener project which is currently maintained apart from the StoryCAD repository. The process uses Scrivener’s Compile to produce markdown, which is split and reformatted by some c# code, and then deployed to github-pages for the StoryCAD repository. Changes are to the manual are, for the most part, made in Scrivener, using its built-in WYSWYG (“What you See is What You Get”) editor. The user manual can frankly use a lot of help. It’s also a great way to improve your Scrivener skills with a large and complex document. You will need a Scrivener license, however.
If you are a developer:
If you’re passionate about creating tools that empower creative minds, then we invite you to join us in improving StoryCAD, our cutting-edge open source tool designed to support writers in crafting their narratives.
The ideal candidate will have some knowledge of GitHub, C#, WinUI 3, and MVVM architecture.
If you’re interested in learning about any of these we can use help with easier issues (we use GitHub Issues as our issue tracker for both issues and enhancements) and with related tasks such as repository cleanup. The majority of the project’s founder devs are still involved.
Your skills can help us enhance and refine StoryCAD, bringing even more utility to writers worldwide. If you’re ready to impact the world of storytelling technology, join us and contribute to StoryCAD’s evolution today.
You can find a more detailed overview of our project in our developer notes.
Ready to start volunteering?
If you are ready to volunteer or would like help with or more information about volunteering, please email us using the button below.