Customizing Chapter Layout
Every book is structured differently, and every writer tracks different things about their chapters and scenes. That's why Penpoint doesn't lock you into a single chapter sheet. You choose which blocks (the individual sections that show up on the right side of the chapter view for every scene) appear, where they live, and how they're configured. Add, remove, reorder, and tune blocks until your layout fits the way you actually plan and write.
Open the layout editor at Settings > Chapter Layout.
How Layout Works
Your chapter layout applies to every scene in the book. When you add a "Summary" paragraph block, every scene gets a Summary field; each scene fills it in with its own content. Add a new block at any time and it appears on the right side of the chapter view for every scene, ready to be filled in.
The same idea is at work on the Characters page. If you've already used Customizing Character Layout, the chapter layout editor will feel immediately familiar: same controls, same flow, just configured per book for chapters and scenes instead of characters.
Note: Layout changes are saved as you make them and apply book-wide right away. There is no undo for layout edits, so take a moment before removing a block, though as covered below, removed blocks can be restored, and removing a block never throws away the data inside it.
The Two Columns
The chapter view has two columns (Main on the left and Sidebar on the right), and the editor lets you arrange blocks across both. (These columns live inside the chapter detail view, not Penpoint's main app sidebar.) The Main column is the wider area best suited to plot points, summaries, and other long-form content. The Sidebar is narrower and works well for secondary information like the cast, locations, items, and tags for a scene. Every block belongs to one column or the other.
Each column has its own Add block to main or Add block to sidebar button at the bottom. New blocks land at the end of the column you added them to. You can drag them somewhere else afterwards.
Adding Blocks
Click Add block on either column to open the block picker. Blocks are grouped into two categories: Basic blocks (Text, Paragraph, Number, Divider, Calculate) for general-purpose content, and Chapter Data blocks (Tags, Characters, Locations, Items, Story Arcs (Penpoint's way of tracking plot threads across your book), Calendar) that connect each scene to the rest of your book.
For a tour of what each block does and how to use it, see Chapter Block Types.
Singleton Blocks
A few block types only make sense once per layout: Tags, Characters, Locations, Items, Story Arcs, and Calendar. If one of these is already in your layout, it appears faded in the block picker and can't be added a second time. The other blocks (Text, Paragraph, Number, Divider, Calculate) can be added as many times as you like.
Block Controls
Each block in the editor has a small row of buttons in the top-left corner that let you manage the block without opening its settings:
Drag handle: a vertical row of dots. Click and drag to move the block to a new position, either within its current column or across to the other column.
Settings: a small toothed-gear shape. Click to open the block's configuration panel, where you can rename the block and set its other options. You can also click the body of the block itself to open the same panel.
Column switch: two arrows pointing in opposite directions (left and right). Click to send the block to the other column without dragging. Handy for quickly rebalancing what's on the main side versus the sidebar.
Each block also has a small X icon (a simple cross-shape, like the close button on a window) in the top-right corner that removes it from the layout.
Configuring Blocks
Click any block (or its gear icon) to open its configuration panel right inside the editor. Common options include the block's name and (for number blocks) minimum and maximum values. Changes save automatically as you type, and every option can be changed back later.
Tip: The block name you set in configuration is the label every scene in your book will see: for example, naming a paragraph block "Summary" or "What Happens" is what the right side of the chapter view will show.
Reordering Blocks
Drag blocks by the drag handle to rearrange them. As you drag, a highlighted line appears at the spot the block will land on release. You can drop a block anywhere in either column, including across columns to move it from main to sidebar or vice versa.
Removing and Restoring Blocks
Removing a block does not delete your data. When you click the X icon on any block, Penpoint asks you to confirm, then hides the block from the right side of the chapter view for every scene; every scene's data for that block is preserved untouched in the background. If you put the block back later, all of that data is still there waiting.
Removed blocks aren't gone: they go to the Deleted Blocks list, accessible from the button beneath the layout editor. From there you can click Restore to bring a block back into your layout (along with all of the scene data it was holding), or click Forever Delete to permanently remove the block and everything it contains. Forever Delete asks for one more confirmation before anything is actually erased, and any scene data inside that block is also erased forever.
Tip: If you accidentally remove a block, just open Deleted Blocks and click Restore. Your scenes get the block back instantly, and none of their data is lost.
For details about each block type, see Chapter Block Types.