Keep a story world and series consistent

The longer a series runs, the easier it is to break your own rules. A master story bible fixes that. Here is how to build one, using a made-up world as the example: the Saltmere Isles, a chain of islands where tides are ruled by a guild of bell ringers.

1. Decide what the bible holds

Give each of these its own section:

• Characters: who they are, what they want, how they look and talk.
• Places: each island, town and building, with a map.
• Peoples: groups, guilds and families, and what they believe.
• History: a dated timeline of events, even ones no book shows.
• World rules: how magic, tech or law works, and what it costs. In Saltmere, a bell can turn the tide, but each ringing deafens the ringer a little more.
• Stories: which book covers what.
• Canon: the facts that are fixed because they are in print.

2. Link the entries

Every entry should link to the others it touches. Old Maren the ringer links to her island, her guild, the flood of year 212 and each book she appears in. Then you can trace a person or event across the whole series in a few clicks. World Anvil, LegendKeeper and Obsidian are built around links like these.

3. Keep canon apart from ideas

Mark each fact as canon or idea. Canon is anything in a published or final book. Ideas are things you might use. If you decide Maren had a brother, it stays an idea until he is on the page. Never change canon by accident.

4. Track the series as a whole

Keep one timeline for the whole series, next to each book's own plan. Plottr does this with its Series View. Campfire Writing has modules for cultures, magic and languages.

5. Check new chapters against the bible

When you finish a chapter, list every name, place, date and rule it uses, and check each one against the bible. Add anything new as an idea first. A tool such as Novelcrafter Codex links your text to your lore, so its AI can flag where a chapter clashes with what you have set up. Always make the final call yourself.

Related: Build a believable character with AI in six steps. All tools: Story worlds and series.