Guides for novelists

A guided tour of Who Where When, from your first book to your first continuity check.

• How to use Who Where WhenA step-by-step tour of Who Where When, from signing up to a continuity check and a published, spoiler-safe reader wiki.

What a story bible is, what goes in it, and how to keep one that stays useful from book one to book ten.

• What is a story bible?A story bible is the reference file of everything that's true in your book or series. Where the idea comes from, who needs one, and what it isn't.
• What to put in a story bibleA complete story bible checklist by category, from characters and places to timelines and spellings, with why each item is worth tracking.
• Story bible templateA free, copyable story bible template for characters, places, factions, items, lore and the timeline, plus how to fill it in without it becoming a chore.
• Story bible vs. series bible vs. style sheetStory bible, series bible, show bible, world bible, style sheet, codex, wiki. What each term means, who uses it, and which one you need.
• How to write a character bibleHow to build character profiles you'll actually use: physical details, voice, relationships, and what changes over the story and when.
• How to build a story bible for a finished bookBuilding a story bible after the book is written, before a sequel or a revision: reading passes, what to extract first, and using AI to speed it up.
• How to keep a story timelineTrack in-story dates separately from chapter order, and keep ages, travel times, flashbacks and invented calendars consistent.
• How to keep a long series consistentWhat drifts between books in a series, how a series bible stops it, and how to handle spoilers, old books and co-writers.
• How to make a worldbuilding bibleWhat goes in a world bible for fantasy or science fiction, from places and cultures to magic rules, history and maps, and when to stop.
• Continuity errors readers actually noticeThe continuity mistakes readers spot in novels, from eye color to dead characters and impossible travel, and how authors and editors catch them.
• How to build a story bible with ChatGPT or ClaudeUse an AI chatbot to pull characters, facts and timelines from your own manuscript, and check its work for made-up facts and missing pieces.
• Story bible examplesWorked story bible entries for a character, a place, an item, a timeline and continuity notes, from a sample fantasy series.