A Guest Blog Post by Author Rosalind Barden
When I embarked on writing the second book in my 1930s cozy noir “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery” series, THE CANNIBAL CAPER, I didn’t think I’d have a problem remembering what the characters looked like in the first book, THE COLD KID CASE, the location descriptions, or who exactly did what. Come on, I’m the author. How could I possibly forget?
Oh, how wrong I was.
Think about it. Can you really remember everything in that 300-page book, even though you wrote it? I ended up using the search function a lot to poke through the MSWord version of THE COLD KID CASE to verify annoying details like, how many windows did I say were in Sparky’s room? Did I describe that character as totally bald or balding?
Maybe readers won’t notice inconsistencies among books in a series. But when dealing with sharp-eyed mystery readers, I can’t count on that. When I create my books, I want to avoid anything that might stop a reader and take them out of the story. That includes plot holes, historical inaccuracies, and the dreaded inconsistencies. A reader who is pulled out of the story, is an annoyed reader who might not feel inclined to buy another one of my books. Can’t have that!
What to do?
Rather than spending more quality time with the search function, I came up with a better idea: television’s “show bible.” Also called a “series bible,” this can take different forms, but is roughly a list of characters, locations, situations, and the overall arc of a TV series. Its purpose is to keep each episode and season consistent with the prior ones, make sure the characters and plot are heading in the planned direction, and avoid embarrassing boo-boo’s.
Let’s unpack this.
Characters
I now keep lists of my characters grouped under the title of the book where they first appeared. I include the spelling of each character’s name because, yes, I’ve spelled one character variously as Mr. Beal, Mr. Beel, or Mr. Beele. I never remember which it is and need to look him up in my character list every single time. Thankfully, my list is there to save me. (It’s Mr. Beele, by the
way, and I did need to look him up again for this blog post.) I add notes about each character’s personality and quirks. I also include character descriptions such as age, glasses or no glasses, hair, height, race. As a bonus, I automatically think more deeply about the characters when I must write their descriptions for my show bible. I include what they wore. For each book, I update their clothes and any other details that may have changed or not changed. For example, THE CATALINA CAHOOTS starts immediately after THE SOUTH SEAS SHENANIGANS ends, so I needed to make sure what each character wore matched in both books. My handy show bible made this easy.
Locations
Silent screen star Tootsie’s Bunker Hill mansion is complicated. It has too many rooms, strange décor, and is crammed with lots of stuff. If I didn’t copy and paste my original descriptions into the “rooms” section of my show bible, I’d be lost. I also use my show bible to make note of the wider layout of Sparky’s 1930s world. This overlapped with my historical research because Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles is completely changed from what it was in 1932. The Los Angeles trains, likewise, were different back then. My show bible helps me to keep track of the route Sparky takes from Bunker Hill to City Hall, and which train line she rides to Hollywood or to the beach. Also, how close is Sparky’s new home with Tootsie to her best friend Bobby’s house? If she can quickly run to Bobby’s house in Book 1, but takes forever to run there in Book 3, that’s an embarrassing inconsistency.
Timeline
The timeline is a critical part of my show bible and has saved me from falling into plot holes. Some of my books take place in a short period of time, which makes the hour-by-hour timeline especially important. I have written scenes where the sun is setting, but then realized I described nighttime in the prior scene. Rewrite emergency! This also tells me I need to go back and clarify my timeline.
Major Scenes
I’ve found it’s helpful to list characters involved in major scenes. For example, who participated in the tommy gun trouble scene in THE CANNIBAL CAPER, and who crept around the cemetery scene in THE MONKEY ISLAND MURDER? If I don’t keep track, I could have a character in a future book talk about the tommy gun situation or the cemetery, only to realize too late that character was still in Chicago at the time. Whoops!
Arc of the Story
I don’t know everything that will happen in the “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery” series, and I don’t even know everything that will happen in the next book. But I do have an overall idea of the arc of the story, where the characters are headed in their development, and which characters likely will appear or reappear in the series. Making note of the big picture can save me headaches. For example, if I decided to have a minor character do something important toward the end of the series, then totally forgot and killed them off in Book 6, I’d kick myself when I remembered. Then I’d be stuck reworking my once brilliant idea.
Okay, so how do I make my show bible?
Now that you have a general idea of what’s in a show bible, how should you put yours together? That’s totally up to you. It also depends on what your series is like. If your series takes place in modern times, in a location you are familiar with, and you have a limited number of recurring characters, your show bible can be shorter and simpler.
For my “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery” series, I’m dealing with a version of Los Angeles that no longer exists, lots of odd characters who pop in and out of the books, and eccentric locations (City Hall oubliette, anyone?). My show bible needs to include more information.
So, what does my “Sparky of Bunker Hill” show bible look like, exactly? It is a series of MSWord documents where I’ve copied and pasted descriptions, added rambling notes, bolding, and highlights. I’m always updating it. I never print it out, but parts of it are always open on my desktop when I’m working on a book. It’s a bit of a mess, but it works for me.
Others may want to print out their show bible, put it in sheet protectors, carefully organize it inside a binder, and have a binder for each book. Other authors may gravitate toward colored markers and stickers or even turn their show bible into a poster board chart. Everyone is different. Whatever works for you is what will work for your series.
I hope the TV show bible idea is another tool you may find useful in your writer’s toolbox.
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Rosalind Barden is an Amazon bestselling author who writes mystery and horror with a sense of humor. Her fascination with the lost history of Los Angeles inspired her 1930s cozy noir “Sparky of Bunker Hill Mystery” series that is a fun read for middle school tweens to grown-up mystery fans. THE CATALINA CAHOOTS was released this May, and THE HOLLYWOOD HAUNT comes out later in 2025. You can discover more at her website RosalindBarden.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive bonus short stories.
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Great idea! It must be hard to keep all the details straight after writing several books. The details keep piling up with every book.
I don’t have anything like that per se. For each series, I have a little spiral bound notebook. In it I have title prompts, research, scene ideas, dialogue, and info on who the characters are and what they look like. It’s also a way to brainstorm with myself, like: “What needs to happen next?” “No, this is a dumb idea. What should the character logically do?” When I run out of room, I start a second notebook. But I find that to handwrite it makes it more memorable in my mind rather than open another word doc. You recall where it is in the notebook more easily.