Constitutional Worldbuilding
A framework for governing shared fictional worlds through explicit, consent-based processes. The documents below lay out the theory and practice; the posts trace how the ideas developed.
Documents
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Collaborative Fiction Governance Framework
The complete framework: canon hierarchy, authority structure, change process, consistency protocol, and meta-governance.
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Implementing a Story World Constitution
The practical companion. How to establish governance, designate canon, operationalize changes, and maintain the system over time.
Posts
- The Rules Behind the World Every shared fictional world has governance, whether it knows it or not. What happens when you make the implicit rules explicit?
- What Canon Owes to What Not all canon carries the same weight. The difference between levels isn't importance or quality. It's what would break if you changed it.
- Tending the Canon The most critical role in any shared fictional world is the one nobody celebrates. What stewardship looks like, and why AI might be well suited to help.
- Sap Flow When multiple projects share a fictional universe, constraint flows one way and contribution flows the other. The better model is a living tree.
- Governance by Consent The framework works because participants agree it makes the collaborative work better. If it doesn't, they can change it. That's the whole point.
- Constitutional Worldbuilding: The Reference Documents The governance framework and implementation guide are now published as standalone reference documents. Here's what they are and why they exist separately from the posts.