When creating a worldbuilding bible, it can be helpful to have a template to work from. Below is a list of information you might want to think about including in your worldbuilding bible.

You can copy and paste this list into a document and start filling it out, but please delete anything that isn’t relevant to your story. You don’t want to spend a ton of time filling out information in your worldbuilding bible that isn’t relevant to your story because it will suck up your time and won’t benefit you!

If you have any suggested additions to this list, please post it in the comments!

The Natural World

Stars, suns, moons, and planets

Oceans and/or major bodies of water

Mountains, woods, and/or other prominent features of the landscape

Common plants

Rare plants

Poisonous and/or medicinal plants

Common animals/creatures

Rare animals/creatures

Locations

Natural formations

Monuments

Government buildings/castles

Train stations/airports/subways/launch pads/highways

Shops/stores

Houses/apartments

Countries/states/cities/planets

Travel

Restrictions on travel

Dangerous locations

Luxury/vacation locations

Immigration/emigration

Travel times between locations

Common methods of travel

Affordability of travel

Architecture & Infrastructure

Common building materials

Expensive building materials

Appearance and layout of typical houses

Appearance and layout of expensive houses

Appearance and layout of typical shops/stores

Streets and sidewalks (brick, cobblestone, dirt, etc.)

Availability of plumbing and sewage

Garbage collection

Distribution of energy

Burial practices

Medicine

Curable diseases

Incurable diseases

Common diseases

Rare diseases

Availability of medicine

Cost of medicine

Legal drugs/potions/substances

Illegal drugs/potions/substances

Professions

Common professions

Less common professions

Rare professions

Gender/racial/species/education restrictions of professions

Unemployment rate

Economy

Distribution of wealth

Lifestyle of average income earners

Lifestyle of the poor

Lifestyle of the rich

Money system or bartering system

History

Major world events

Major wars

Major natural disasters

Age of civilization

Previous leaders/rulers

Recent cultural shifts/changes

Clothing

Cheap fabrics

expensive fabrics

Lower class clothing styles

Middle class clothing styles

Upper class clothing styles

Differences in clothing between genders

Differences in clothing between regions

Differences in clothing between cultural groups or species

Food

Staple foods

Luxury foods

Availability of food

Local/regional dishes

Entertainment

Professional sports

Hobby/schoolyard sports

Board games and/or card games

Music styles

Common instruments

Common themes and subject matter of fiction

Government/legal/regional restrictions on films, plays, novels, music

Affordability of films, sports games, board games, instruments, books, etc.

Law

Criminal justice system

Minor crimes

Major crimes

Laws impacting daily life

Common sentences for crimes (prison, labor, execution, etc.)

Police behavior, uniform, practices, powers

Prison conditions

Public opinion of law enforcement

Politics

Political parties

Ruler/King/Queen/President/Prime Minister

Prominent Members of Court/Government

Secret government agencies and/or organizations

Public opinion of the ruler/government

Magic

Common spells

Rare spells

Restrictions on spells

Common magical skills

Rare magical skills

Restrictions on magical skills

Common potions

Rare potions

Restrictions on potions

Prevalence of magic users

Society’s perception of magic

Requirements of using magic

Technology

Availability of technology

Capabilities of technology

Weapon technology

Entertainment technology

Energy creation technology

Transportation technology

Religion

Major religions

Dynamics between religious groups

Places of worship

Religious holidays

Morals and beliefs

Origin of religion

Prevalence of religion

Separation (or lack of separation) between church and government

Family

Typical age of marriage

Typical number of children

Typical family dynamic/structure

Attitudes towards children

Attitudes towards the elderly

Attitudes towards romantic love

Care for elderly relatives (in-home, nursing homes, etc.)

Care for children (traditional parenting, nannies, boarding school, etc.)

Gender roles (or lack of gender roles)

Importance of birth order to family roles, inheritance, profession

Education

Typical education level

School subjects

School environment (strict, lenient, etc.)

Availability of schooling/education

Cost of education

Restrictions on education due to gender, abilities, species, etc.

Language

Primary/major languages

Regional/minor languages

Prevalence of multilingual/bilingual people

Colloquial phrases, slang, and curses

Races & Species

Primary/major races and/or species

Minority races and/or species

Dynamics between species and/or races

Cultural disconnects between species and/or races

Commonalities between species and/or races

Weather

Typical weather

Atypical weather

Seasonal variations in weather (or lack of variation)

Clothes for each season

Heating & cooling homes