Pilot
Frequently Asked Questions
⚓ Plank Owner Status
Plank Owners come aboard first
A Plank Owners are the first Voyagers of The Harbor; share a story during the testing phase to secure lifetime status.
Become a Plank Owner
Sign up to become a Voyager and help us improve the system.
Parents secure status for their children
Plank Owner status is open to adults today. If we can open the platform to people under 18, parents who become Plank Owners now are securing Plank Owner status for their children.
Plank Owner status costs nothing
Nothing. Plank Owner status is free. We value your time, your effort, and your knowledge.
Plank Owners receive preferred status
Develop your story for free during the testing phase and earn preferred status when the system launches. At minimum, Plank Owner status will translate to a discount.
The Harbor opens when the book goes on sale
The Harbor will be funded by revenue from the sale of Talk to Strangers when it is priced for sale. Plank Owner status is open now while the book is offered free.
We notify you when The Harbor opens
We will send you an email. If you would like to be notified by text, please check the box to consent to a text message notification.
📖 Definitions
Voyagers open an account
A Voyager is anyone who opens an account with us. Sign-up is open now. When The Harbor opens, you may share a story and offer an image to the Captain's Plate.
Lighthouse reads the values in your story
Lighthouse is our moral reasoning program. It analyzes the values within your story: what ethical questions it wrestles with, what it teaches about how to be human. Lighthouse organizes stories into Vessels that communicate larger moral messages. This is how AI learns from us: not from social media performance, but from genuine human experience.
Full Anchor polishes your story
Full Anchor is the editorial pass a story enters once it clears Compass. It polishes sentence structure and flow while preserving every detail of your voice. We offer suggestions to strengthen sentence structure and seek quotable opportunities.
Vessels gather stories by theme
A Vessel is a themed collection of stories compiled by Lighthouse for Phase 3. For example, a Vessel might gather stories about “Moments of Unexpected Kindness” or “When a Stranger Became Family.” Your story may fit multiple Vessels. Each Vessel sold in Phase 3 generates revenue, and every story earns for the Voyager who shared it. A Voyager who shares ten stories earns ten times what one story earns. Every Vessel releases as an Audiobook and eBook, and the Captain’s Plate opens for images that carry the illustrated version.
The Captain's Charter secures publication and profit sharing
The Captain's Charter is the legal agreement that enables Phase 3 publication and profit sharing. It does not exist yet. We offer it when Phase 3 is ready. Nothing is signed in Phase 2. Your story remains yours throughout this phase.
The Figurehead Commission covers your image
The Figurehead Commission is a legal agreement that lets us use your image for illustrated editions. The Captain’s Plate opens when the eBook and Audiobook are published.
Voyagers receive payment in Phase 3
Payment begins in Phase 3, when Vessels launch and generate sales. We are currently in Phase 2: proving the concept and building the Voyager community. Phase 2 is real work with a real future. We will not make promises we cannot keep.
✍️ Your Stories
We seek stories with real stakes
Stories with genuine vulnerability, real stakes, and authentic human connection. Moments that changed you, challenged you, or taught you something true about being human. Specific details, the kind only you would know, are what separate a Voyager story from everything else.
We welcome difficult topics
We distinguish between crisis and triumph. Crisis is someone currently in danger who needs immediate help. Triumph is how you survived or overcame something difficult. Triumph stories, told with resolution, are among our most powerful. We do not judge your choices or your experiences. We want your hard-won wisdom.
Reach out for help first
Please reach out to these resources first:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Emergency: 911
Your safety comes before any story.
Share one story each day
When The Harbor opens, you may share one story in any 24-hour period; each story goes through Compass independently. Each story you develop with us will be matched with a Vessel.
Stories find their natural length
Stories find their natural length. Most run between 500 and 2,000 words. Stories under 300 words often lack the depth Compass looks for. Stories over 3,000 words may need trimming during Full Anchor. Tell your story in the length it needs. We help you shape it for publication.
Write in whatever English you have
Write in whatever English you have. Anchor Station is applied to all stories for grammar and clarity while preserving your voice. Your wisdom matters and we have the tools to help with the rest.
💰 Ways to Earn
Voyagers earn two ways
Two ways: share your story, and share your art. Both travel aboard a Vessel, and Vessels go on sale in Phase 3.
Share your Story
We offer the Captain’s Charter when your story is matched with a Vessel for publication. A Voyager who shares ten stories earns ten times what one story earns.
Share your Art
The Captain’s Plate is an opportunity to share images for illustrated editions of each Vessel. If your image is matched with a story, The Figurehead Commission is offered for permission to publish your image. The Captain’s Plate opens when the eBook and Audiobook are published.
Taking part costs nothing right now
Plank Owner status is free. Part of the testing phase is to determine how much it will cost to make each story ready for publication. Plank Owners maintain preferred lifetime status as a benefit of the time you invest now.
🌊 The Voyage
★ Find True North
Compass reads your story and coaches you to examine the characters and conflict that inspired the story. We set the course and lay the foundation for your story.
🧭 Chart the Course
Your story has a strong core; Compass offers questions to guide you through the moral reasoning process. Explore them and return when you are ready. This conversation is the beginning of a journey.
⚓ Check the Sails
Your story is complete. Now it is time to polish with an editorial pass; Full Anchor is where we look for clarity, flow, and quotable opportunities. All edits are preparation for publication.
⛵ Captain’s Quarters
We are matching your story with a Vessel. We now await the Captain's Charter; we may reach out once more for a final polish as we match your stories with a Vessel. You are welcome to share your story; we hold no claim on your experience.
⎈ Captain’s Charter
The Captain’s Charter includes our publishing agreement and details of profit sharing for each book. When The Captain’s Charter is signed; your story is secured aboard the Vessel.
🗺 Ready to Sail
When the Captain’s Charter is signed, stories are woven into each Vessel and assembled for eBook and Audiobook.
🎖️ Landfall
Each Vessel launches as an eBook and Audiobook; the Captain’s Plate opens to collect images for illustrated editions. Payment for contributions begins.
🔱 The Process
We answer every story within 48 hours
Every story receives a personal response within 48 hours once The Harbor opens. Humans read and respond to everything that arrives here.
We accept every level of writing
We value your authentic voice, we polish for publication together. Compass coaches you through the moral reasoning process to uncover your genuine experience and emotional truth. Anchor Station handles grammar and clarity so you can focus on telling your story. The rougher it sounds, the more real it often is.
We edit in two passes
Anchor Station corrects typos, grammar, punctuation, and clarity automatically. You will see the edited version with each reply. We run Full Anchor after we fully develop your story with Compass. This is the editorial pass where we offer suggestions to strengthen sentence structure and seek quotable opportunities.
Tell us when you disagree
Please respond to the survey. We will actively improve during the testing phase and the survey helps us consolidate information to understand where updates are needed. Your feedback helps us improve. We are building The Harbor together.
The Captain resolves technical problems
Email Captain@talktostrangers.net and we will resolve it. Every story is shared in The Portal; the Captain clears whatever stands in the way.
Email the Captain about a missing confirmation
Email Captain@talktostrangers.net. The Captain handles every issue that reaches us, including confirmation that failed to arrive.
Support replies within 48 hours
Email Captain@talktostrangers.net with any issue. Every support request receives a reply within 48 hours.
🧭 The Course Ahead
Phase 1: The Book plants the seed
Talk to Strangers is the first Vessel on The Harbor platform and it is the seed for The Lighthouse Project. The stories in this book were both developed and used to train the programs that make The Harbor possible. Compass coaches to examine the depths of an experience. The Anchor programs shape sentence structure to strengthen your voice. The Captain’s Plate opens for illustrated editions when each Vessel launches as an eBook and Audiobook.
Phase 2: The Harbor develops your story
The Harbor’s launch will be funded by revenue from Talk to Strangers when the book is placed on sale. The Harbor is the story development platform where each story finds its shape. We offer the Captain’s Charter when your story is matched for publication on our platform. When The Harbor opens to the public there will be a price to share stories at The Harbor to cover its operation.
Phase 3: The Voyage launches Vessels
The Harbor launches Vessels as an eBook and Audiobook and the Captain’s Plate opens for illustrated editions. Each collection will demonstrate our progress in moral reasoning. Achievements will be rewarded with patches to reward the type of moral reasoning in the story. Our Talk to Strangers logo is the first patch. Each Voyager will be honored with a patch for each story published with Talk to Strangers LLC.
Phase 4: The Lighthouse teaches moral reasoning
Lighthouse is a moral reasoning program guiding Compass coaching in story development. We guide our Lighthouse program to analyze conflicts in values and the human condition. Our goal is to teach humans and AI how to reason morally. Compass coaches Voyagers to develop their moral reasoning process with stories. In turn, we build a clean data set for AI to learn how to reason morally too.
🔒 About Privacy & Rights
Full Privacy Rights · Terms of Service
Publish under any name you choose
You may publish under any name you choose. Your legal name will be required to sign the Captain's Charter to secure payment for your contribution.
You own your story
Your story belongs to you. The Captain's Charter will secure our right to publish your story; you must review and sign under your legal name to accept our profit-sharing agreement. All stories shared on the platform are read by AI and stored to improve our methods.
We never change your meaning
Our process is inspired by the Socratic Method. We ask questions to express your meaning, your perspective, and your truth.
We protect the people in your story
You do not need permission to tell your own experience. We modify any story that portrays another person negatively by name or identifying detail before publication. Focus on communicating the truth of what happened. We are responsible for protecting privacy in publication.
A human reads every story that clears screening
Every story passes through an automated screening layer. Stories that clear screening are read by a human evaluator to verify our programs are responding correctly. This is part of our strategy to continuously improve the system.