AI for Authors: Write a Better Book Series with a Memory Bank

8/10/2025

Here's the thing about writing a book series: it's a marathon, not a sprint. And honestly, keeping everything straight across multiple books can feel like juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle. It's tough. You've got character arcs that span several novels, plot threads that need to be picked up books later, & a world that has to feel consistent & real.

For years, authors have relied on sprawling binders, complex spreadsheets, & walls covered in sticky notes to manage it all. But now, we've got a new tool in our arsenal, & it's a game-changer: Artificial Intelligence.

I'm not talking about letting a robot write your books for you. Let's get that out of the way right now. The best stories come from the heart, from human experience. But what if you had an assistant who never slept, had a perfect memory, & could help you brainstorm, organize, & keep your massive fictional world in check? That's where AI comes in.

This guide is all about how you can use AI, specifically in conjunction with what I call a "Book Memory Bank," to write a better, more consistent, & more epic book series.

What in the World is a Book Memory Bank?

Okay, so "Book Memory Bank" is a term I use, but you might have heard it called other things: a "Story Bible," a "Lorebook," or a "Series Wiki." Whatever you call it, the concept is the same: it's a centralized, living document that holds every single piece of information about your book series.

Think of it as the brain of your world. It knows everything:

Characters: Their full names, birthdays, physical descriptions, personality traits, backstories, key relationships, & character arcs across the series.
Setting & World-Building: Maps, names of cities & countries, unique flora & fauna, political systems, social structures, historical timelines, & the rules of your magic or technology systems.
Plot: The overarching plot of the series, individual book plots, major plot points, foreshadowing, & unresolved threads.
Continuity Details: Small but crucial details that are easy to forget, like the color of a character's eyes, the name of their favorite cafe, or a promise they made in book one.

Traditionally, this has been a manual process. But here's the cool part: we can now use AI to help us build & manage this memory bank. This isn't just about storing information; it's about making that information work for you.

Why AI is Your Secret Weapon for Series Writing

Writing a series is an exercise in long-term memory. You need to remember a seemingly insignificant detail from book one because it becomes a major plot point in book four. This is where AI shines. It can help you:

Maintain Consistency: An AI can be trained on your memory bank to act as a continuity checker. You can ask it things like, "What was the name of the tavern in the Northern Wastes from book two?" & get an instant answer.
Enhance Creativity: Feeling stuck on a subplot? Feed your memory bank to an AI & ask it to brainstorm some "what if" scenarios based on your existing world & characters.
Speed Up World-Building: You can use AI to generate ideas for cultures, histories, & even languages, which you can then refine & add to your memory bank.
Deepen Character Development: AI can help you explore character backstories & motivations by generating prompts & ideas based on the information you've already established.

Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty. Here's a step-by-step guide to using AI & a Book Memory Bank to write your next book series.

Step 1: Choose Your Tools

Before you start, you need to assemble your digital toolkit. There are a LOT of options out there, so don't get overwhelmed. Here's a breakdown of what you'll need:

A Core Writing App: This is where you'll do the actual writing. Scrivener, Ulysses, or even Google Docs can work.
A General Purpose AI Chatbot: These are your all-around assistants. My personal favorites are Claude & ChatGPT. They're great for brainstorming, outlining, & quick questions.
A Specialized AI Writing Tool: These are apps specifically designed for fiction writers. Tools like Sudowrite, NovelAI, & Novelcrafter have features like story bibles, character generators, & tone shifters that are incredibly useful.
Your Book Memory Bank Hub: This is where your memory bank will live. You could use a tool like Notion, Obsidian, or even a dedicated world-building platform like Deep Realms.

Here's where a platform like Arsturn could be REALLY interesting. Imagine creating a custom AI chatbot trained on your entire Book Memory Bank. You could literally have a conversation with your world. You could ask your custom Arsturn bot, "What are the three main tenets of the Sunstone Empire's religion?" or "Generate a list of potential conflicts between Kaelen & his estranged father based on their backstories." It turns your static memory bank into an interactive writing partner. This is a pretty cool way to keep all your lore at your fingertips.

Step 2: Laying the Foundation - The "Zero Draft" & The Memory Bank

Every epic series starts with a single idea. But before you write a single chapter of book one, you're going to do some prep work.

The "Fractal Technique" for Outlining:

A popular method for outlining with AI is the "fractal technique," which is a lot like the classic "snowflake method." You start with a single sentence summary of your entire series. Then, you expand that into a paragraph. Then, you expand that paragraph into a one-page summary.

From there, you do the same for each book in the series. Then, you break each book down into chapters, & each chapter down into scenes. You can use an AI chatbot to help you with this expansion at every stage. For example, you could give it your one-page summary & say, "Break this down into a three-book series, with a brief synopsis for each book."

Building Your Initial Memory Bank:

As you're outlining, you'll start to generate a TON of information. This is when you start building your Book Memory Bank. Create entries for:

Main Characters: Give your AI a quick character sketch & ask it to flesh it out. "Here's my main character, Anya. She's a cynical thief with a heart of gold. Can you generate some ideas for her backstory, including a defining childhood event?"
The World: Start with the big picture. What's the climate like? What are the major political powers? What's the technology or magic level? Use your AI to brainstorm ideas. "I'm writing a fantasy series set in a world where magic is fading. Give me five interesting consequences of this."
The Overarching Plot: What is the central conflict of the series? What are the major turning points?

At this stage, you're just laying the groundwork. Don't worry about getting everything perfect. The memory bank is a living document that will grow & change as you write.

Step 3: Writing Book One - AI as Your Co-Pilot

Now it's time to start writing the first book. This is where the real fun begins.

Using AI for Scene Generation (With a BIG Caveat):

Some AI tools can generate entire scenes or chapters for you. And while this can be a great way to get past writer's block, I have to be honest: you should NEVER just copy & paste what the AI gives you. AI-generated prose can often feel a little flat or generic.

Instead, think of the AI as a very enthusiastic intern. You can give it your scene outline & say, "Write a rough draft of a scene where Anya tries to pickpocket a powerful mage & fails." Then, you take that rough draft & you rewrite it in your own voice, adding your own flair, your own emotional depth, & your own unique style. The AI does the heavy lifting of getting words on the page, & you do the creative work of turning those words into a story.

Keeping the Memory Bank Updated:

This is CRUCIAL. Every time you introduce a new character, a new location, or a new piece of lore in your manuscript, you MUST add it to your Book Memory Bank. It might feel tedious at first, but trust me, your future self will thank you.

Let's say in chapter three, you decide on the fly that Anya has a scar over her left eye. You immediately open your memory bank, go to her character profile, & add that detail. Why? Because if you don't, you might forget & in book three, describe her as having flawless skin. It's these little inconsistencies that can pull a reader out of the story.

This is another place where having a custom AI like Arsturn trained on your data could be invaluable. Instead of manually searching through documents, you can just ask your bot, "Does Anya have any scars?" and get an instant, accurate answer. This helps businesses (and in this case, authors) create a streamlined process for accessing their own data.

Step 4: Between the Books - The "Memory Bank Audit"

So, you've finished book one. Congratulations! But before you dive into book two, it's time for a "Memory Bank Audit."

Go through your entire memory bank & make sure it's up-to-date with everything that happened in the first book. This is also a great time to use AI to look ahead.

Plotting Book Two: Feed your AI the synopsis of book one & your overarching series plan. Ask it to brainstorm ideas for the plot of book two. "Given the events of book one, what are some potential challenges Anya could face in the next book that would raise the stakes?"
Character Arc Planning: Look at where your characters are at the end of book one. Where do you want them to be at the end of book two? Use AI to help you map out that journey. "Anya is more trusting at the end of book one. What events in book two could test that newfound trust?"
Foreshadowing Check: Ask your AI to scan your memory bank for any unresolved plot threads or bits of foreshadowing from book one that you can pick up in book two.

This "between the books" phase is where a series is really made. It's where you ensure that each book feels like a satisfying story on its own, but also a crucial part of a larger, cohesive narrative.

Step 5: Scaling Up - Writing the Rest of the Series

As you get into books two, three, & beyond, your Book Memory Bank will become your most valuable asset. It's the single source of truth for your entire fictional universe.

The Challenge of Continuity:

The further you get into a series, the harder it is to keep everything straight. I once read a popular fantasy series where a character's horse changed names halfway through the third book. It was a tiny detail, but it completely broke my immersion.

This is where your AI-powered memory bank becomes non-negotiable. Before you start a writing session, you can have a "conversation" with your AI to refresh your memory on the relevant details.

Using AI for Deeper World-Building:

As your series progresses, your world should get bigger & more complex. Use your AI to help you flesh out the details.

Cultures: "Based on the history of the Sunstone Empire in my memory bank, generate some ideas for their cultural traditions, festivals, & social etiquette."
Politics: "Given the current political climate in my world, what are some potential sources of conflict between the Elven Queendom & the Dwarven Clans?"
History: "Write a short historical account of the Great Dragon War, as told from the perspective of a cynical historian."

The AI can generate a wealth of information that you can then pick & choose from, adding the best bits to your memory bank. This is how you create a world that feels rich, deep, & lived-in.

The Human Element: You are the Author

It's easy to get caught up in all the cool things AI can do, but I want to end with a really important reminder: YOU are the author. AI is a tool, just like a word processor or a thesaurus. It's a powerful tool, for sure, but it doesn't have a soul. It doesn't have a unique voice. It doesn't have your life experiences.

The best authors using AI are not just pressing a button & letting the machine write for them. They are using AI as a collaborator, a brainstorming partner, & an organizational assistant. They are still doing the hard work of creating compelling characters, crafting intricate plots, & writing prose that sings.

Think of yourself as a director. The AI can be your scriptwriter, your casting director, & your set designer. But you're the one with the vision. You're the one making the creative decisions. You're the one telling the story.

A Quick Word on the Business Side

For authors who are also running a business (and let's be real, most of us are), the organizational power of AI can extend beyond just writing the book. If you have a website where you engage with readers, you can use a tool like Arsturn to build a no-code AI chatbot trained on your books' lore.

Imagine a reader visiting your website & being able to ask a chatbot, "What's the best order to read the series in?" or "Can you give me a non-spoiler summary of the first book?" This kind of engagement can turn casual readers into devoted fans. It helps you build a community around your work, & that's incredibly valuable. It’s a way to provide instant support & engage with your audience 24/7, boosting conversions if you sell books directly & providing a personalized experience for your fans.

Wrapping it Up

Writing a book series is one of the most challenging & rewarding things a writer can do. It's a huge undertaking, but you don't have to do it alone. By combining your creativity with the power of AI & a well-maintained Book Memory Bank, you can streamline your process, enhance your creativity, & build a fictional world that readers will want to get lost in for years to come.

So, go ahead. Start building your memory bank. Play around with some AI tools. See what this new technology can do for you. The future of storytelling is here, & it's pretty exciting.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know what you think in the comments! Have you tried using AI in your writing process? What are your favorite tools?