Story bible examples
The easiest way to see what a story bible should look like is to look at one. Below are worked entries from The Ashen Crown, a small sample fantasy series in two books: The Ashen Crown (published) and Ember and Oath (drafting). They're laid out the way they'd look in a plain document, so you can copy the structure into whatever tool you use.
The sample includes a few deliberate continuity mistakes. They're left in so you can see how a well-kept bible exposes them.
Example: a character entry
A character entry needs a short summary, the facts the books have established with their sources, the character's relationships, and private notes for things the reader doesn't know yet.
Kael Varn Also called: the Ember Knight, Sir Kael Tags: POV Summary: An exiled knight sworn to House Thorne.
| Attribute | Value | Source | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| born | Bloommoon, 388 AS | Book 1, ch. 3 | "born in the spring of 388" |
| age | 19, as of 3 Ashmoon 412 | Book 1, ch. 1 | "nineteen years old and already scarred" |
| eye color | green | Book 1, ch. 2 | "his green eyes caught the firelight" |
| eye color | grey | Book 2, ch. 1 | "Kael's grey eyes gave nothing away" |
| weapon | a notched longsword named Penance | Book 1, ch. 3 | |
| title | Ember Knight | Book 1, ch. 3 |
Relationships:
- Serves House Thorne
- Member of the Order of the Flame (cast out, Thawmoon 409)
- Trained by Brother Tolan
- Loves Mara Thorne
Notes (private): Kael's loyalty to Mara is personal, not political. He swore to House Thorne because Aldric took him in after the Order cast him out. Arc: from oathbreaker to the one person who refuses to wear the Crown.
Two things to notice. First, every fact has a source, so you can go back to the page. Second, the table already shows two problems: Kael's eyes are both green and grey, and a man born in 388 is about 24 in 412, not 19. More on those below.
For a deeper look at character entries, see the character bible guide.
Example: a place entry
Place entries focus on location, appearance, who controls it and what happened there. Note when a place changes.
Thornwatch Type: place Tags: castle, north Summary: The cliffside seat of House Thorne, burned in the first chapter.
- Location: on the cliffs, north. Varrow is three days' ride south.
- Held by: House Thorne.
- Features: east gallery, chapel, yard, gate.
- Events here: Burning of Thornwatch (3 Ashmoon, 412). Death of Lord Aldric (same night). Vigil for the dead (5 Ashmoon, 412).
- Status: a ruin from 3 Ashmoon, 412.
Varrow Type: place Tags: city Summary: A river city of guilds and bridges, three days' ride south of Thornwatch. First appears: Book 1, ch. 2
- Notable people: Selwyn, a bridge-warden and old friend of House Thorne (named but not yet met).
- Events here: Kael holds the Varrow gate (4 to 6 Ashmoon, 412). Council of Varrow (10 Frostmoon, 413).
The travel time is the most important line in either entry. It fixes how long every journey between them takes.
Example: an item entry
Items that matter to the plot get their own entries: what they look like, what they do, and who has them.
The Ashen Crown Also called: the Crown Type: item Summary: A crown of fused cinders that chooses its bearer.
| Attribute | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| material | fused cinders | Book 1, ch. 1 |
| owner | House Thorne | Book 1, ch. 1 |
| current holder | Mara Thorne, carried in her pack | Book 1, ch. 2 |
| behavior | hums when Mara thinks of Selwyn | Book 1, ch. 2 |
Notes: Brother Tolan warns Kael not to let Mara put it on (Book 1, ch. 3). Don't describe it as metal anywhere.
Example: a concept entry for a magic system
Emberfire Type: concept Tags: magic Summary: The magic of the Order: heat drawn from grief. Every use costs a memory.
- Cost: each use burns away a memory (Book 1, ch. 3).
- Users: knights of the Order of the Flame.
- On the page: Kael has used it so often he doesn't remember his mother's face or why he was cast out.
Example: a timeline
A timeline lists events in story order, with dates, people and places. The last column is the chapter where the reader learns of it, which may be far from when it happened.
| In-story date | Event | Who | Where | Told in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloommoon, 388 | Birth of Kael Varn | Kael | Book 1, ch. 3 | |
| Thawmoon, 409 | Kael is cast out of the Order | Kael, Tolan | Book 1, ch. 3 | |
| 3 Ashmoon, 412 | Burning of Thornwatch | Kael, Mara, Aldric | Thornwatch | Book 1, ch. 1 |
| 3 Ashmoon, 412 | Death of Lord Aldric | Aldric | Thornwatch | Book 1, ch. 1 |
| 4 to 6 Ashmoon, 412 | Kael holds the Varrow gate | Kael | Varrow | Book 1, ch. 3 |
| 5 Ashmoon, 412 | Vigil for the dead | Mara, Kael | Thornwatch | Book 1, ch. 2 |
| 5 Ashmoon, 412 | Kael rides for Varrow | Kael | toward Varrow | Book 1, ch. 2 |
| 10 Frostmoon, 413 | Council of Varrow | Mara, Aldric | Varrow | Book 2, ch. 1 |
The calendar is the Reckoning of the Flame: ten months from Frostmoon to Deepwinter, years counted After Sundering (AS). Sorted this way, the problems are hard to miss. See keeping a story timeline for how to build one.
Example: continuity notes
A continuity note records a problem, where it comes from, and what you decided. Keep them in one list so nothing gets fixed twice in two different ways.
1. Kael's eye color. Green in Book 1, ch. 2 ("his green eyes caught the firelight"). Grey in Book 2, ch. 1 ("Kael's grey eyes gave nothing away"). Decision: Book 1 is published, so green is canon. Change Book 2. (Or: Emberfire greys the eyes over time. If so, record "green until" and "grey from" dates and seed it in Book 2.)
2. Kael's age. Called nineteen on 3 Ashmoon 412, but born in 388, which makes him about 24. Decision: pending. Either change the birth year to 393 or drop "nineteen" from chapter one.
3. Kael in two places. At the vigil in Thornwatch on 5 Ashmoon, but holding the Varrow gate from 4 to 6 Ashmoon. Varrow is three days' ride away. Decision: move the Varrow siege to start no earlier than 8 Ashmoon, after he could arrive.
4. Lord Aldric at the Council of Varrow. Aldric dies on 3 Ashmoon 412 but attends the Council in Frostmoon 413. Decision: replace him with another character in Book 2, ch. 1. Check the rest of Book 2 for his name.
5. Brother Tolan's secret. He set the fire at Thornwatch (revealed Book 2, ch. 1). Decision: not an error. Marked secret. Keep it out of any reader-facing glossary for Book 1.
Taking these examples into your own bible
You don't need every field for every entry. A practical minimum:
- A summary of one or two sentences.
- Facts with their source chapter, and a quote where the wording matters.
- Dates on anything that changes.
- Relationships to the other entries.
- Private notes kept separate from canon.
For a blank structure to start from, see the story bible template.
Common questions
What does a story bible entry look like?
A short summary, followed by a list of facts, each with the chapter it came from and, ideally, the exact quote. Add relationships to other entries and private notes for things not yet on the page.
How long should a story bible entry be?
As long as the facts the book has established, and no longer. A minor character may need three lines. A main character may need a page.
Keep your story straight
Who Where When keeps every character, place and date in your books, and tells you when the story contradicts itself.
Start your story bibleMore in Story bibles
- 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.