Story bible templateA story bible that builds itself from what you already know: the cast, the relationships, the world's rules, the chronology and the things that must not change — compiled into one document as you type.
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A story bible is not a document you write once and then maintain. It is the place every later decision is checked against, which is why this one is compiled from the project on every render rather than saved as a second copy that can fall out of step. There is no export to forget, and no version of the bible that disagrees with the profiles.
The compiled document has eleven sections, in this order:
- Project facts
- Protected canon — do not change
- Cast overview
- Character profiles
- Relationships
- Plot, chapters & scenes
- World & locations
- Rules & systems
- Timeline
- Glossary
- Open questions for the collaborator
Each section is numbered the way it is listed, even when a section is empty and left out — so "Cast overview" is section 3 in every bible the tool produces, and a page number found in one draft still means something in the next.
The first thing in the document is the protected canon: the facts you have marked do-not-change. Each one stores its own wording, so it survives any later edit to the answer it came from, and it outlives the character it names. This is the block a collaborator is meant to read before they write a line.
- A continuity check that only reads what you enteredUnanswered fields at the depth you chose, duplicate and near-duplicate names, characters nobody is connected to, glossary spellings that disagree, an age the timeline contradicts, and rules missing a cost or a limit.
- Open questions, generated per fieldThe questions your own answers still leave open, asked as questions. Keeping one stores it on the profile, which is how it reaches the bible's final section.
- A one-page brief for the next personThe project facts, the canon, one line per character, the rules that cannot be broken and what is still open — the same document as the bible, with its own label, so the two can never disagree.
The tool will not tell you your manuscript is consistent, because it has not read it. It checks the bible you entered — the answers you gave it — and says so plainly wherever it reports anything.
FAQ
Why does the bible come before the invitation?
A collaborator can only contribute well when they know the characters, the relationships, the world's rules and the continuity you want protected. That context is the thing this tool makes, and it is the thing you can hand over without handing over the book.
Why is the bible safe to share?
The bible is the safe artifact. It says who these people are and what must not change, and it says nothing about how the story ends, so sharing it does not mean showing anyone your draft.
How do I invite the role I actually need?
A co-writer needs the cast and the rules. An editor needs the arc and the open questions. A beta reader needs the one-page brief. Because the bible separates those, each of them can be given the right half.
Why review a response against the same ground?
When two people work from the same protected canon, a disagreement is about the story rather than about which version of the character they each remember.
What do I get on Nexet that this tool cannot do?
The tool builds the context; Nexet is where a story is written against it. A Nexet project holds your scenes and your bible together: draft in the Manuscript Studio, keep the characters, world, plots and outline in the same project, and let the cast and the do-not-change canon stay visible while you write. It also keeps a revision of every scene, and it tracks the plot threads and the outline. The finished work exports as Word, PDF, EPUB, Markdown, Final Draft and more.
Can I invite a co-writer or an editor to work from my bible?
Yes, and that is what the bible is for. On Nexet you invite someone as a role, whether co-writer, editor or beta reader, and they work from the same approved context rather than from a copy that drifts. Each role is given the part of the context its job needs, and a private thread keeps the conversation with the work instead of in an email.
What is the Writers' Audition Arena?
It is where you find someone to write with. You publish a frozen seed: a passage from your own work, held at that exact version. Other writers answer it with continuations, and you read them and choose. Your manuscript is never handed over by publishing a seed: what they see is the seed, and the writer you pick works on from there.
How do I get this bible into a Nexet project?
Export the JSON file, which is the round-trip format and the one that imports back without loss, then start the project on Nexet and bring it with you. Importing the file directly is coming; until it ships, the JSON export and the one-page brief are what travel, and the brief is what a collaborator reads first.
Does Nexet cost anything?
Nexet needs an account, and it starts free: you can create projects and write in them without paying, with more project slots available if you want them. Nothing on this page is affected either way: the free tool, its exports and its brief stay free, and they never ask for an account.
- The draft and the bible in one project. Draft a scene in the Manuscript Studio with the cast, the world and the canon beside it, so the reference sits where the writing happens instead of in another file.
- Invite the role you actually need. Bring in a co-writer, an editor or a beta reader as a role. Each works from the same approved context, with a private thread for the conversation.
- Never lose a version of a scene. Revisions keep a copy whenever a scene changes, so an edit is not a one-way door and a collaborator's answer can be read against what it answered.
- Find a collaborator in the Arena. Publish a frozen seed of your own writing, read the continuations other writers send back, then work with the one that fits. Your manuscript stays private.
- Take everything with you. Export the project or the finished document as Word, PDF, EPUB, Markdown, Final Draft, Rich Text, OpenDocument, plain text, HTML or JSON. Nothing is locked in.