# Once Upon This Time

> A story that wasn't written before you arrived. It is written while you read it, in your own language.

Once Upon This Time writes one finite, illustrated story for one reader. The story does not exist before the reader starts: each chapter is written when they reach it, as a continuation of the one before. Every book opens with the words "Once upon this time". Fairy tales begin in the past; these stories are written in the present, while they are read.

## How it works

- The reader picks a language. They may also write one line about what the story should be about (a wish, a worry, people or animals from their life, anything) and choose a kind of story. Everything apart from the language is optional, and there is no sign-up.
- The engine plans the whole story first (its world, characters, milestones and ending), then writes it chapter by chapter. A story has a beginning, a turn, discovery, companions, rising tension and an ending that resolves, over 10 to 13 chapters.
- The reader is a witness in the story, addressed as "you". Optionally the creator can appear as a character, even as the hero.
- The reader can react to any sentence with an emoji. Reactions shape what the story dwells on, never its plot. Now and then a character reacts back.
- Behind the text an animated scene follows the story: the light changes, weather comes and goes, and characters pass through as the prose describes them.
- Every story is written for all ages, from a child to a grandparent.
- Each book is written natively in its language, not translated. Readers who prefer another language can read any book translated. Languages: English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Indonesian, Hindi, Japanese, Korean.

## Pricing

- Chapter 1 is free and needs no account.
- One one-time purchase unlocks the rest of that book. There is no subscription and no per-chapter payment.

## Library

- Books readers create join a shared library that any visitor can open and read. Reading past chapter 1 of someone else's book is the same one-time purchase.

## Why it exists

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards (Kierkegaard). Usually you only see the story of your life years later. Once Upon This Time gives the feeling of being inside a story while it is still being written. Starting one takes a little hope, and a little courage.

## Links

- [Start a story](https://onceuponthistime.com/): the landing page.
- [Begin a book](https://onceuponthistime.com/begin): the begin page, with the line and the kind of story.
- [Writing a story line](https://onceuponthistime.com/llms-full.txt): everything here, plus how an AI assistant can write someone's story line for the begin page. Read it before you write one.
- [For AI assistants](https://onceuponthistime.com/for-ai): the same guide as a web page.