Quick question for the writers

Posted on by Luther M. Siler

(as if I’ve been talking about anything other than writing around here lately)

Anybody have any experience with putting together a series bible?  Any suggestions on software or format?

That is all.

Published by

Luther M. Siler

Teacher, writer of words, and local curmudgeon. Enthusiastically profane. Occasionally hostile.

8 thoughts on “Quick question for the writers”

  2. It’s a reference document for a series, usually used in the case of television shows but any multi-book or multi-series story might have one. Imagine the glossary that you might find at the end of your more complicated fantasy series and you’ve got the right idea, only with page references and style notes and stuff like that.

    I could put one together in a word processor easily enough, by doing it glossary-style, but I’m wondering if anyone has any more elegant solutions. And I’m sick and going to bed so I’m using you guys instead of researching on the Internet. 🙂

    Like

  4. I don’t use anything like Scrivener to keep track of my world/culture notes and what not – I just have a very structured file system on my computer. I picked up building file structures in Microsoft when I worked as the File Clerk (read: “Loser Representative”) in a LAN Shop. But I think you’re going to have to get a little more detailed about what you mean by “Bible” in order to get better feedback. Are you talking about your notes about your world that may or may not make it into the final edit or an actual world mythos? Are you wanting to “build” it strictly so you can keep your own head straight or are you looking at publishing your notes as a whole different volume for your readers who like the world you created? Are you throwing in dictionaries for languages/words you’ve made up or are these just character sketches/profiles?

    Like

  5. Right now I’m using a notebook in OneNote to keep track of characters, plots, settings, etc., for the series I’m writing, but I use it in conjunction with a physical spiral-bound notebook. That may not be the sophisticated tool(s) you’re looking for, but it’s working so far for me.

    Like

  8. I saw some templates and resources on Pinterest. Do a search there and you might find some useful tools. I use Scrivener and I guess you could say that the files I accumulate there could be the bare bones of a series bible. Hope that helps! Good luck with your WIP.

    Like

Comments are closed.