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The plotboard doesn’t replace documents, sheets, or canvas.
Each file type has its own role. The plotboard aligns those files
along the story’s flow.

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Each file type answers a different question

In Pensiv, file types are not feature labels;
they’re layers of thinking.

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Document (Docs)

→ What will be narrated
→ Where you write the actual scene and text Documents handle the story’s content.

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Sheet

→ What is the reference
→ Where you fix setting and information you refer to again Sheets manage stable information.

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Canvas

→ How things connect
→ Where you visualize relationships, emotion, structure The canvas reveals connection and context.

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Plotboard

→ Where do all these elements sit
→ Where you place structure on time and flow The plotboard handles the story’s direction.

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The plotboard’s perspective

Documents go deep into the scene.
Sheets fix the reference.
The canvas reveals relationships.
The plotboard asks on top of that:
  • Where does this scene sit in the whole structure?
  • In which section does this setting apply?
  • In what flow does this relationship matter?
The plotboard is
where you hold those questions in one view.

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How they work together

With the plotboard at the center:
  • Documents keep direction.
  • Setting doesn’t shift from scene to scene.
  • Relationships don’t float without context.
Each file type focuses on its role;
the plotboard ties those roles into one flow.

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A typical loop

A common workflow cycles like this:
  1. Check reference in sheets
  2. Set scene position on the plotboard
  3. Write content in the document
  4. Check relationships on the canvas
  5. Return to the plotboard and adjust structure
When that loop holds,
the story develops steadily on top of structure.

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Summary

The plotboard doesn’t produce content.
It keeps you aware of where the story is.
The plotboard asks
not “what will I write?“
but “where is the story right now?” first.
Documents, sheets, and canvas each handle a layer;
the plotboard puts those layers on time and flow. Only when the story is aligned on structure
does it stay stable to the end.
Related: 3. File types