series-continuity

# Series Continuity ## Overview Plan and maintain sequels, prequels, and companion books as linked Story Skills projects. Each book stays a standalone project with its own `story.md`, characters, world, chapters, and continuity files. Books point at each other through `story.md` frontmatter, and `story series` checks the canon they share. - `series` - kebab-case series id shared by every book, such as `the-ember-cycle` - `book-number` - publication order (1, 2, 3...) - `follows` - paths to books set **earlier** in the story's chronology - `precedes` - paths to books set **later** in the story's chronology Chronology and publication order are separate. A prequel written after the first book has `book-number: 2` and lists `../book-one` under `precedes`. This skill owns the book-level layer: linked books and the canon they share. The within-serial installment layer — how serial or episodic installments are structured — is covered by the `genre-craft` skill's serial/episodic structure reference. Links are relative paths from the book root, and every link needs a matching backlink: if book two lists `../book-one` under `follows`, book one must list `../book-two` under `precedes`. Keep sibling books in the same parent folder so the paths stay short and portable. ## When to Use - Starting a sequel, prequel, interquel, or companion book to an existing project - Carrying characters, locations, systems, factions, artifacts, or glossary terms into another book - Revising a book ...