Narrative Chronicle
By The Narrative Forge
Author's Guide
How to use Narrative Chronicle effectively to maintain consistency in your manuscript
Getting Started
- Create your first book — Give your manuscript a name on the homepage. This is your project workspace.
- Start scanning chapters — Paste your first chapter (between 500 and 3,500 words) into the Scan Chapter tab. The system will analyze it and establish your initial story state.
- Continue chapter by chapter — Scan each subsequent chapter in order. The system tracks how characters, objects, and story elements evolve across your manuscript.
- If you edit a chapter after scanning, rescan it and every chapter after it — The system only knows what you show it. If you make changes to earlier chapters, rescanning from that point forward ensures the system sees your edits and updates everything correctly.
- Review issues as they appear — Check the Issues tab after each scan to catch continuity problems early, while they're easier to fix.
What Narrative Chronicle Actually Catches
The system reads your manuscript without assumptions. Ambiguities in character identity, motivation, or physical description that feel clear to you as the writer may not be established in the text itself — the system will flag or infer these, which can reveal gaps worth addressing before your readers find them.
Note: Narrative Chronicle is an assistive tool. Analysis is AI-generated and may not catch every inconsistency — always apply your own editorial judgment.
Narrative Chronicle is a partner in your logic, not a replacement for your eyes. It thrives on the data you provide; the more disciplined your scanning habit, the more accurate and useful the analysis will be.
Maintaining Continuity
The Golden Rule: Always Rescan from Where You Changed
Since your manuscript text is never stored (only the analyzed narrative state), when you make edits to earlier chapters, you must rescan from that chapter forward. This ensures the system sees your changes and updates everything correctly.
Important: Rescanning consumes word credits just like the original scan — factor this in when planning larger revisions.
Example:
You've scanned Chapters 1-10.
You realize Chapter 3 has a continuity error with a character's location.
After fixing Chapter 3, rescan it.
Then rescan Chapters 4-10 to update the narrative state with your fix.
Do not skip ahead — the system needs to see each chapter in sequence to track changes correctly.
What happens if you don't rescan:
If you rescan Chapter 3 but stop there, Chapters 4-10 will be marked as "stale" but their data remains visible.
The character history will show your Chapter 3 fix correctly.
The system's view of your story stops updating at the last rescanned chapter. Characters, objects, and threads beyond that point will reflect your old text until you rescan forward.
The stale banner will warn you that these chapters need rescanning, but you can still view their previous analysis.
Understanding the Interface
Scan Chapter
Paste a single chapter here. Use this when working chapter-by-chapter, or when rescanning after making edits.
Chapters
View all your scanned chapters. Click any chapter to see the narrative state as it stood at the end of that chapter — useful for checking character locations, object possession, and open story threads at specific points in your story.
Issues
Continuity problems detected across your manuscript. Errors are clear contradictions (a character in two places at once). Warnings are likely problems that might have an intentional explanation. Review these regularly and resolve or dismiss them as needed.
Story State
The current narrative state — where characters are, what objects they hold, and important words that appear frequently. Use this to quickly check character locations or verify object possession.
Story Threads
Promises made to your readers — questions raised, mysteries introduced, plot threads started. Track which are still open and which have been resolved. This helps ensure you don't leave readers hanging.
World Rules
The rules of your story world that have been established — magic systems, physical laws, cultural norms. The system flags when these rules are violated, helping you maintain internal consistency.
Scene Map
Visual graph showing character positions and scene locations across chapters. Track where characters are and what they hold. Use the timeline buttons to see how they evolve across chapters. Great for understanding character dynamics at a glance.
Paid feature — available on Scribe, Storyteller and Chronicler
Upload Manuscript
Paste your full manuscript at once. The system detects chapter breaks automatically by looking for blank lines followed by "Chapter" headings. Best for initial setup of a complete draft. If your chapter headings are non-standard, use Scan Chapter instead.
Your Credits
All your word credits share a single pool and expiry date. Purchasing any paid tier adds words to your pool and extends your validity period. Credits from previous purchases carry forward — you never lose words you've paid for.
Best Practices
Always scan chapters sequentially. The system builds narrative state incrementally, and skipping chapters can cause missed connections.
Catching continuity problems early makes them easier to fix. A small edit in Chapter 5 is much simpler than rewriting Chapter 20.
Scan one chapter at a time. If your chapters run long, split them into parts — the system tracks state incrementally regardless of how you chunk your manuscript.
Before writing a new chapter, check the previous chapter's state to remember character locations and current situation.
Use the Story Threads tab to ensure you're not leaving plot points unresolved. This is especially helpful for complex multi-book series.
When you revise earlier chapters, rescan from that chapter forward. This updates the narrative state to reflect your changes throughout the manuscript.
Getting the Most from Your Credits
If you write short chapters (under 1,000 words), consider combining 2-3 chapters for better credit value. If you have a very long chapter (3,000+ words), split it into 2 logical parts. When rescanning, always maintain a close logical split to ensure consistent tracking.
You can paste your entire manuscript at once and the system will automatically detect and split it into chapters. However, scanning chapter by chapter and fixing issues as you go provides better value and more control over the analysis.
Common Questions
What happens if I skip a chapter?
The system won't have narrative state for that chapter, which means it can't track what happened in it. Always scan chapters in order.
Can I delete a chapter and rescan it?
Yes. Simply rescan the chapter with your revised text. The system will update the narrative state. Remember to rescan subsequent chapters if your changes affect them.
Why are some issues marked as warnings instead of errors?
Errors are clear contradictions (impossible situations). Warnings are likely problems that might have an intentional explanation. Review both, but use your judgment — a warning might be intentional foreshadowing.
Is my manuscript text stored anywhere?
No. Your manuscript text is analyzed once and immediately discarded. Only the extracted narrative state (character locations, object possession, etc.) is saved. Your work remains private.
How do word credits work?
Each scan consumes word credits equal to the words scanned, with a minimum of 1,000 credits per scan. A 600-word scan costs 1,000 credits. A 2,400-word scan costs 2,400 credits. Each tier assumes one scan and one re-scan.
What happens to my data when my plan expires?
Your narrative state — character locations, story threads, world rules, and continuity issues — is retained for a period after expiry depending on your tier: 7 days for Free, 30 days for Scribe, 90 days for Storyteller, and 180 days for Chronicler. Topping up while your plan is active never reduces your retention period — it only adds words and extends your validity. If your plan expires and you purchase fresh, retention is set by your new tier. Your manuscript text is never stored — only the analyzed narrative state.
Can I use the Print Button for my editor?
Yes. Printing your Story State to PDF is the best way to give a human developmental editor a "Fact Sheet" to work from, saving them time and you money.
What if the system flags something that isn't actually an error?
Use the dismiss option on any issue you've reviewed and decided is intentional (e.g., an unreliable narrator, deliberate time jump, or stylistic choice). Dismissed issues will not be re-flagged on subsequent scans. For actual errors, use "Mark resolved" after fixing your manuscript.
Can I use this for a series across multiple books?
For now, create a single book for your entire series and continue scanning in it — the system automatically carries state forward within a book. A dedicated series setup UI (separate books with automatic state carry-forward between them) is coming soon.
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