Story bible
A story bible app that checks your book against it
In Novela, your story bible isn't just a list of notes. Characters, places and plot threads are linked to your manuscript, and Story Check reads every chapter against them to catch the mistakes readers notice: a dead character who talks, a name spelled two ways, eyes that change colour.
What goes in it
- Characters. Role, aliases, appearance, personality and backstory, plus story facts the checks use: eye and hair colour, birth year, pronouns, and whether they're alive, dead or missing (and from which chapter).
- World. Locations, factions and items, each with aliases.
- Plot threads. Open questions and subplots, with the chapter where each one is resolved.
- Notes and research. A scratchpad for ideas and a board for links and clippings.
Linked to your manuscript
Type @ in a chapter to mention a character, place or thread. Each entry then shows every chapter it appears in, so you can jump to the last time a minor character was on the page.
Plain names count too: Story Check finds characters and places by their names and aliases even when you don't use @.
Story Check catches what slips through
- Dead characters. Someone marked dead speaks or acts in a later chapter. Chapters marked as flashbacks are allowed.
- Name spelling. “Katharine” in chapter 12 when everywhere else it’s Katherine.
- Character facts. Green eyes in the profile, blue eyes on page 140.
- Ages and dates. A stated age that doesn't match the birth year and the chapter's year.
- Forgotten characters. A main character who hasn't appeared for many chapters.
- Open threads. Plot threads that are never resolved.
Rules, not guesses
These are plain rules that run on your device, not AI. Each issue has Go to text and Ignore, so a deliberate choice never nags you twice.
See it work
Questions
- Is my story bible private?
- Yes. Like your manuscript, it stays in your browser on your device.
- Does Story Check understand every language?
- Name spelling, forgotten characters and open threads work in any language. Checks that read words such as colours and speech verbs understand English for now.
- Can I use it just as a story bible, without writing in it?
- You can, but the checks need your chapters to compare against.
- Is it free?
- Yes, every feature, with no account.
Try it now. It takes a second.
Free, no account, and your book stays on your device.