Editorial Policy

Creator's Hearth publishes craft essays, writing prompt collections, publishing guides, and tool reviews for fiction writers. This page explains how that content is produced, what standards it is held to, and how errors are corrected.

Editorial responsibility

All content on Creator's Hearth is written and edited by Blake Reichenbach, who is solely responsible for editorial decisions. Blake holds an English degree, has written professionally and recreationally for over a decade, and has studied critical literary theory at the University of Oxford. He is an active fiction writer currently working on two novel manuscripts.

There are no external editors, staff writers, or contributing authors at this time. Every article reflects one writer's perspective, research, and judgment.

How articles are researched and written

Craft essays draw on Blake's reading of published fiction, his study of craft literature (including works by writers such as John Gardner, Janet Burroway, and Francine Prose), and his own practice as a writer. Claims about technique are grounded in how writers have actually deployed that technique in published work — not just in how craft guides describe it.

Publishing guides are researched from publicly available industry sources: Publisher's Marketplace, QueryTracker, SFWA resources, agent blogs, and publicly accessible publishing contracts. We do not make specific legal or financial recommendations.

Tool and resource reviews are based on direct use of the tools described, supplemented by research into user communities and published comparisons. We disclose when a tool has not been extensively used.

AI use policy

Creator's Hearth uses AI tools (including Claude) as part of the editorial process in limited, specific ways: for research assistance, fact-checking support, and editing feedback. AI is not used to generate article body text, prompt collections, or course content that is published under Blake's name.

The substance of every article — the arguments, the examples, the perspective, the prose — is Blake's own work. AI assistance is a tool in the same way that a grammar checker or a reference database is a tool: it supports the writing process without producing the writing.

If this policy changes in any meaningful way, we will update this page and note it clearly.

Update and correction policy

Publishing industry information, tool pricing, and software features change over time. We update articles when we become aware of material changes. Updated articles include a "last updated" note when the changes are substantive.

If you find a factual error, a broken link, or outdated information, please use the Contact page and include the article URL and the specific issue. We treat corrections as a priority and aim to address factual errors within five business days.

Corrections to factual errors are made without a correction notice for minor issues (broken links, outdated prices). For substantive corrections that change the meaning or recommendation of an article, we add a brief correction note at the top or bottom of the piece.

Editorial independence

No advertiser, sponsor, or affiliate partner influences editorial content. Book recommendations are not sold placements. Tool reviews are not influenced by affiliate relationships — we do not currently have affiliate arrangements with any writing software company. Advertising displayed on this site is served by Google AdSense and is not related to editorial recommendations.

If a future partnership or arrangement were to influence content in any way, it would be disclosed prominently in the relevant article. See our Affiliate Disclosure for the current state of commercial relationships.

Scope and limitations

Creator's Hearth covers fiction writing. Articles are written from the perspective of a writer with serious literary interests — the craft content reflects those values and that aesthetic. Readers should understand that craft and artistic perspective are intertwined: an essay about voice or structure is also an argument about what makes fiction worth reading.

The site does not provide legal, financial, or professional career advice. Publishing guides are informational and should not be treated as substitutes for qualified legal counsel before signing contracts.

Contact

Editorial questions, corrections, and concerns: Contact page.