Customizing Character Layout

Character sheets can be as diverse as the characters you are writing in your book! That's why Penpoint doesn't force you to use a predetermined layout. You choose which blocks (the individual sections on your character sheet) to include and how to arrange them. Add, remove, reorder, and configure blocks to track exactly what matters for your story.

Access the layout editor at Settings > Character Sheet Setup.

How Layout Works

The layout editor is a two-column page. The left side is where you build your layout: adding, removing, and arranging blocks. The right side is a live preview that shows how your layout will look on actual character pages.

Your layout applies to all characters in your book. When you add a "Height" number block, every character gets a height field; each character has their own unique value. Add new blocks anytime, and they'll appear on every character sheet. Adding a new block doesn't fill in data for existing characters. All your existing character data stays exactly as it is. You will need to go through your character list to fill in the new field as needed.

Adding Blocks

Click Add Block to choose from two categories: Basic blocks (Text, Paragraph, Number, Divider, Calculate (lets you add up number values, for example, totaling a character's skill points), and Image (attach a portrait or other visual reference)) and Character Data blocks (Trait (a dropdown where you pick from a list of options you define, like eye color or personality type), Tags, Events (key story moments involving the character), Relationships, Items, Locations, Chapters, Character Arc, and Notes (show a Notebook note, folder, or set of tags on the character sheet)).

Some blocks (like Items) can only be added once. If a block is already in your layout, it appears faded and can't be clicked again in the Add Block menu.

Block Controls

Each block in the layout editor has a row of small buttons in the top-left corner. These 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 in the layout.

Settings: a gear icon. Click to open the block's settings, where you can change its label, hint text, and other options. You can also click anywhere on the block itself to open settings.

Half-width: a two-column icon. Click to switch the block between full-width and half-width (see Half-Width Layouts below). Available on all blocks except Character Name and Divider.

Quick Create: a lightning bolt icon. Quick Create is a shortcut menu that lets you fill in key fields right when you create a new character, without having to open the character page first. When this button is highlighted, the block's field will be included in that menu. Available on Text, Paragraph, Trait, Number, and Tags blocks. Text and Paragraph blocks are included by default.

Each block also has an ✕ button in the top-right corner to remove it from the layout.

Removing Blocks

Removing a block does not delete your data. When you click the ✕ button on any block, Penpoint asks you to confirm, then archives it: hiding it from all character pages but preserving all character data. If you removed a block by accident or want to bring it back, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Deleted Blocks button to see a list of archived blocks and the data they contain.

Reordering Blocks

Drag blocks by the drag handle (a vertical row of dots in the top-left corner) to rearrange your layout. As you drag, a highlighted line shows you where the block will land. Character Name always stays at the top.

Configuring Blocks

Click any block in the layout editor (or click its gear icon) to open its settings right below the block. Common options include labels, the hint text shown in empty fields, minimum/maximum values (for numbers), and which trait list to use. Changes save automatically as you type, and you can always change settings back if you change your mind.

Half-Width Layouts

Want to put "Eye Color" and "Hair Color" next to each other, or "Strength" and "Intelligence" side by side? All blocks except Character Name and Divider support half-width layouts. Click the two-column icon on any block to switch it to half-width, or drag a block to the left or right side of the highlighted area between blocks to place it in a side-by-side row.

To swap two blocks in the same row, drag one over the other until a swap icon (two arrows pointing left and right) appears, then drop it.

Collapsing Blocks

Each block on a character page has a small arrow next to its title. Click the header to collapse that block's content, leaving just the title and icon visible. Click again to expand it. This is handy when your character sheet has many blocks and you want to focus on specific sections.

Collapse preferences are remembered separately for the Characters page and the Mini Penpoint sidebar (a compact reference area that can appear alongside your manuscript), so you can have a different view in each. The Character Name block and dividers cannot be collapsed.

Live Preview

The right side of the layout editor shows how your layout looks on actual character pages. The preview updates instantly as you make changes and highlights blocks as you hover over them in the editor.

For details about specific block types, see Block Types.