How does the continuity check work?
The continuity check compares everything in your bible and lists the places where it contradicts itself. It runs on every change, so there's no button to press. Open Continuity in the sidebar to see the results. The number next to it counts open contradictions.
It works on the facts, events and relationships in your bible, not on chapter text. The more you record as dated facts and events, the more it can catch.
What it checks
| Issue | Level | Example from the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Conflicting facts | Contradiction | Kael's eye color is both "green" and "grey" |
| Appears after death | Contradiction | Lord Aldric attends the Council of Varrow after dying |
| Appears before birth | Contradiction | A character at an event dated before they were born |
| In two places at once | Likely problem | Kael holds the Varrow gate during the vigil in Thornwatch |
| Age doesn't add up | Likely problem | Kael is "19" in 412 AS but was born in 388 |
| Impossible date range | Likely problem | An event or fact that ends before it starts |
| Possible duplicate | Worth a look | Two entries share a name or alias |
| Missing reference | Worth a look | A relationship points to a deleted entry |
A few details:
- Conflicting facts only counts facts with the same attribute whose dates overlap. Facts with separate True from and Until ranges don't conflict.
- Lifespans come from "born" and "died" facts, or from birth and death events.
- Ages need a dated "age" fact and a birth date. A difference of one year is allowed.
- Two places at once allows for arriving and leaving on the same day.
Attributes listed in Settings → General → Attributes that can have several values are never flagged as conflicts.
Fixing an issue
Each issue shows the facts or events involved, with their source chapters and quotes, and links to the entries. Then:
- Keep this one on a conflicting fact deletes the other values.
- Merge into… on a possible duplicate moves facts, relationships and events onto one entry and keeps the other name as an alias.
- Delete relationship clears a missing reference.
- Or fix it at the source: give a fact a date range, change an event's date, or edit the entry.
Marking an issue intentional
Some contradictions are deliberate: an unreliable narrator, a disguise, a rumor. Choose Intentional and the issue moves to the Marked intentional tab. Choose Unmark to bring it back.
Checking a new chapter
To compare a chapter's text with your bible, use the Continuity audit prompt in Prompts, then paste the AI's reply into Import to see its findings. If you've connected Claude, you can ask it directly. For common kinds of mistakes, see Continuity errors.
Common questions
Do I need to run the continuity check?
No. It runs automatically every time anything in the universe changes. The Continuity page always shows the current results.
Does the continuity check read my chapters?
No. It compares the facts, events and relationships in your bible. To check a new chapter's text against your bible, use the Continuity audit prompt or ask Claude through the connector.
What if a contradiction is on purpose?
Choose Intentional on the issue. It moves to the Marked intentional tab and stops being flagged.
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 Building your bible
- How do entries, facts and sources work?Entries are the people, places and things in your series. Facts record details about them, with dates, a source chapter and a quote.
- How do in-story dates and custom calendars work?Set your world's months and eras in Settings, then type dates like "3 Frostmoon 412" on facts and events. Here's how dates are read and ordered.
- How do events and the timeline work?Add births, battles, journeys and other events with dates, places and participants. They appear on a zoomable timeline with a lane per character.
- How do family trees and relationships work?Link entries with relationships like parent of, member of or rival of. Who Where When draws a relationship graph and family trees from them.
- How do I add maps and pins?Upload a map image of your world, drop pins on it, and link each pin to a place or other entry in your story bible.
Related
- 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 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.