Fiction continuity checklist for editors
Use this checklist to structure a dedicated continuity pass. Remove categories outside the engagement and add genre-specific rules before the manuscript review begins.
Use evidence, not memory
Record the earlier and later passages for every suspected problem. The checklist organizes the review; the manuscript evidence determines whether a query is justified.
Copy and adapt the template
Replace bracketed or generic language with the facts of the engagement. Templates do not replace professional or legal advice.
Scope and source
Identify the exact draft being checked.
- Manuscript title and version
- Word count and chapters included
- Series material included
- Continuity-only or factual checks also in scope
Characters
Separate durable facts from changing states.
- Names, aliases, titles, and pronouns
- Age, appearance, injuries, and abilities
- Goals, allegiances, relationships, and possessions
- Knowledge, beliefs, secrets, and lies
Time and place
Check sequence as well as stated dates.
- Dates, seasons, time of day, and elapsed time
- Travel duration and distance
- Location layout and access
- Event order and simultaneous scenes
World and plot rules
Record constraints the solution must respect.
- Magic, technology, legal, social, or biological rules
- Object ownership and condition
- Promises, clues, evidence, and unresolved setup
- Rule exceptions established on the page
Finding record
Complete this for every reportable issue.
- Category and severity
- Passage A and location
- Passage B and location
- Why they may conflict
- Status: confirmed / intentional / query / dismiss
- Editor note and author question
Continue the editor workflow
Pair the checklist with manuscript evidence
Run a Novilot continuity audit, verify the cited passages, and record only the findings you accept.
Run a free manuscript preflight