Series Bible Index

Who this is for

An index to everything a series has established. Each character, place, object, rule and event gets a line with the book and chapter where it first appeared, what was said about it and how it has changed since. A book-by-book timeline of the big events sits alongside.

Novelists writing a series or a set of linked books, and anyone picking up a series again after a gap and needing to know what readers have already been told.

What this helps you track

• Where each character, place, object and rule was first established
• What the text actually said about it, in brief
• How an entry has changed from book to book
• Which entries connect to which
• The major events of each book, in order

How to use it

1. Write the series name and how many books are published and planned at the top.
2. Add an entry each time something is fixed on the page: a name, a place, an object, a rule of the world or an event.
3. Note the book and chapter where it first appears and a short description in your own words, not a copy of the text.
4. When a later book changes an entry, add the book and the change in the later changes column rather than rewriting the first line.
5. Fill the timeline table as each book is drafted, one major event per line, and check it before starting the next book.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is this different from a character profile sheet?

A profile sheet goes deep on one character. This index goes wide: one line per entry of any kind, with a pointer to the page where it was established, so you can check a fact fast without rereading.

How much should I write in the description?

Enough to answer the question you will ask later, such as eye colour, the name of a street or how a rule works. If an entry needs more, keep a separate profile or location sheet and cross-reference it here.

Should I record things that were only planned?

Keep them apart. This index is for what is on the page and read by readers. Planned ideas can go in your notes or outline so they are not mistaken for established fact.

Can I sort the entries by type?

The browser version lets you pick a type for each entry and add rows as the series grows, and it saves in your own browser. On paper, a coloured mark per type works.