Jaycee Woods

I asked Copilot for some tips on how World Anvil might help my writing projects within a shared universe.

Me: So if I have over 300 stories that I want organized into a coherent story universe across time, locations, and possibly planets then World Anvil has the advantage for managing the big picture especially related to managing characters who reoccur across novels and short stories?

Copilot: Yes, World Anvil would be particularly advantageous for managing a large, interconnected story universe like yours. Here are some reasons why:

World-Building Tools:

World Anvil is designed to help you create and manage detailed worlds, including maps, timelines, and character profiles. This is ideal for keeping track of multiple stories set across different times, locations, and even planets1.

Cross-Referencing:

You can link different elements of your world, such as characters, locations, and events. This makes it easier to manage recurring characters and ensure consistency across your novels and short stories.

Timelines:

World Anvil allows you to create detailed timelines, which can help you keep track of events across your story universe and maintain a coherent chronology.

Character Management:

You can create detailed character profiles and track their development across different stories. This is particularly useful for managing characters who appear in multiple works.

Collaboration:

If you ever decide to collaborate with other writers or artists, World Anvil supports collaborative projects, making it easier to share and develop your story universe together.

While Scrivener excels at drafting and organizing individual manuscripts, World Anvil’s strengths lie in managing the broader context and interconnected elements of a complex story universe. Using both tools together could provide a comprehensive solution: Scrivener for writing and organizing your manuscripts, and World Anvil for managing the overarching world-building and continuity.

Me: So in terms of collaboration that might help with communication for extended media development of a written story like video games or movies?

Copilot: Absolutely, World Anvil can be a powerful tool for collaboration, especially when developing extended media like video games or movies based on your written stories. Here’s how it can help:

Centralized Information:

World Anvil allows you to store all your world-building details in one place, making it easy for collaborators to access and understand the universe you’ve created.

Detailed Character and Plot Management:

You can create comprehensive profiles for characters, locations, and events. This ensures that everyone involved in the project has a clear understanding of the story elements and their interconnections.

Timelines and Chronologies:

Detailed timelines help keep track of events across different media, ensuring consistency and continuity. This is crucial for projects that span multiple formats.

Collaboration Features:

World Anvil supports collaborative work, allowing multiple users to contribute to and edit the world-building documents. This is particularly useful for large teams working on complex projects.

Visual Aids:

You can include maps, diagrams, and other visual aids to help collaborators visualize the world. This can be especially helpful for game developers and filmmakers.

Communication and Updates:

World Anvil’s platform allows for easy communication and updates, ensuring that all team members are on the same page and can quickly access the latest information.

By using World Anvil, you can create a detailed and accessible repository of your story universe, which can be invaluable for extended media development. This ensures that everyone involved in the project has a clear and consistent understanding of the world, characters, and plot, facilitating smoother collaboration and more cohesive storytelling.