Story bible template

6 min read · Updated October 23, 2026

This is a free story bible template you can copy into any document: Google Docs, Word, Notion, Obsidian, Scrivener or a plain text file. It's written in Markdown, so headings and tables paste cleanly into most tools. There's a section for each kind of entry: characters, places, factions, items, lore, and the timeline.

Every template here has a Source column. That's the one habit that makes a bible trustworthy: each fact says which chapter it came from. When two facts disagree, the source tells you which came first and where to fix it.

Below the templates is a short method for filling them in without turning your bible into a second job.

How to set up the document

Use one file for a short novel. For a long book or a series, use one file (or one folder) per category, so each stays short enough to scan:

# [Series or book title]: Story bible

- Characters
- Places
- Factions and groups
- Items
- Lore and rules
- Timeline
- Style sheet
- Open threads

At the top, record the basics that everything else depends on:

## Series overview

| | |
|---|---|
| Books | 1. The Ashen Crown (published) · 2. Ember and Oath (drafting) |
| Calendar | Reckoning of the Flame, 10 months, years counted AS (After Sundering) |
| POV characters | Mara Thorne, Kael Varn |
| Tense / person | past, close third |

Character template

Copy this block once per character. For minor characters, the first table is often enough.

## [Character name]

**Also called:** [nicknames, titles, aliases]
**One line:** [who they are in a sentence]

### Fixed details

| Detail | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Born | | |
| Died | | |
| Birthplace | | |
| Eye color | | |
| Hair | | |
| Height / build | | |
| Distinguishing marks | | |
| Occupation | | |

### Details that change

| Detail | Value | From | Until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | | | | |
| Allegiance | | | | |
| Lives at | | | | |

### Relationships

| With | Relationship | From | Until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |

### Voice
[How they talk. Words they use. Words they'd never use.]

### Knows
[Secrets they know, and when they learned them.]

### Arc
[How they change, and the chapters where it happens.]

Filled in for one character from the sample series The Ashen Crown, the fixed details look like this:

For more on what makes a character profile useful, see the character bible guide.

Place template

## [Place name]

**Also called:** [older names, nicknames]
**One line:** [what it is]
**Located in / near:** [region, distance and direction from other places]

| Detail | Value | From | Until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruled / owned by | | | | |
| Population / size | | | | |
| Notable features | | | | |
| Travel time to [place] | | | | |

### Layout
[Rooms, streets, landmarks that recur in scenes.]

### What happened here
[Events, with dates. Link to the timeline.]

Faction and group template

## [Faction name]

**One line:** [what they are and want]
**Symbol / colors / motto:**

| Detail | Value | From | Until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | | | | |
| Seat / headquarters | | | | |
| Allies | | | | |
| Enemies | | | | |

### Members
| Member | Rank / role | From | Until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |

Item template

## [Item name]

**Also called:**
**One line:**

| Detail | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Made of | | |
| Looks like | | |
| What it does | | |
| Made by / when | | |

### Who has it
| Holder | From | Until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |

Lore and rules template

Use this for magic systems, technology, religions, laws, customs, diseases: anything that works by rules.

## [Rule or system name]

**One line:** [what it is]

| | |
|---|---|
| What it can do | |
| What it can't do | |
| What it costs | |
| Who can use it | |
| How it's learned | |
| Known exceptions | |
| First shown | [book, chapter] |

For The Ashen Crown, the cost row for Emberfire would read "each use burns away a memory (book 1, ch. 3)." That single line will govern every later scene where a knight uses it.

Timeline template

## Timeline

| In-story date | Event | Who | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 388 AS | Kael Varn is born | Kael | | b1 ch. 3 |
| 409 AS | Kael is cast out of the Order | Kael, Tolan | | b1 ch. 3 |
| 3 Ashmoon 412 AS | Burning of Thornwatch; Lord Aldric dies | Aldric, Mara, Kael | Thornwatch | b1 ch. 1 |
| 5 Ashmoon 412 AS | Vigil for the dead | Mara, Kael | Thornwatch | b1 ch. 2 |

Keep backstory events in the same table as on-page events. That's how you catch ages that don't add up. The story bible timeline guide covers dating events when the text is vague.

Style sheet template

## Style sheet

| Term | Notes | First used |
|---|---|---|
| Thornwatch | one word, capital T | b1 ch. 1 |
| the Order | capitalized when it means the Order of the Flame | b1 ch. 3 |
| Emberfire | one word, capital E | b1 ch. 3 |

Open threads template

## Open threads

| Thread | Set up in | Paid off in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is Selwyn? | b1 ch. 1 | | Mara's only lead in Varrow |

How to fill it in without it becoming a chore

A template invites you to fill every box. Don't. An empty field costs nothing, and a field you invented to fill a box can contradict the book later.

Fill in what's on the page. The bible's job is to record canon. If the manuscript doesn't mention a character's height, leave it blank until it does.

Do it at the end of each writing session. Five minutes: skim what you wrote, add any new names, physical details, dates and relationships. A one-line entry is fine.

Always fill the Source column. If you skip anything, skip the value, not the source. "Mentioned eye color, ch. 12" is still useful.

Use "From" and "Until" only when something changes. Most facts never need them. Titles, allegiances, relationships and locations usually do.

Create minor characters lazily. A name and one line is enough until they matter.

Don't copy the same fact into two places. If Kael's sword is in his entry, the item entry can say "see Kael Varn." Duplicates drift apart.

Review it before each new book or revision. That's the moment the bible pays for itself.

If you've already finished the draft, see building a story bible for a finished book for a faster way to fill these templates.

When a document stops being enough

A document template works well for one book. Over a series it gets harder: the same character appears in five files, dates have to be compared by hand, and nothing tells you when a new chapter contradicts an old one.