- A single document holding every load-bearing fact about a fictional world.
- Maintained during drafting, referenced by editors and co-authors.
- Series writers cannot work without one.
- Typical length: 10-40 pages by the end of a novel.
- Eliminates roughly 80% of continuity errors before submission.
A story bible is the single document holding every load-bearing fact about a fictional world — characters, places, dates, magic rules, technology, glossary. Authors maintain it during drafting; editors and co-authors reference it for continuity. Series writers cannot work without one. The bible typically grows to 10-40 pages by the end of a novel.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Continuity errors are the most-cited reader complaint on Goodreads. A story bible eliminates most of them by giving every "wait, what was her last name?" question a definitive answer. The bible is the first file editors ask for and the last file series writers stop updating.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Characters: name, age, role, physical description, voice notes.
- Places: spellings, descriptions, distances, maps.
- Timeline: in-story dates, character ages at each scene.
- Rules of the world: magic, technology, social structures, religion.
- Glossary: made-up words with pronunciation and definition.
- A "voice anchor" excerpt representing the book’s tone.
Chapter iii·Example
A fantasy author’s story bible at the end of her 95,000-word draft: 22 pages covering 12 characters, 18 places, a 200-year timeline, three magic systems, and a 60-entry glossary. She updates it scene-by-scene during drafting and the bible saves her from a major continuity error in her revision pass.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom builds the story bible automatically — characters, places, timeline — alongside the manuscript.
See the Plan studio