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Sheets define “information you refer to again”

A sheet
fixes information that should be the reference inside the project. If a document narrates thought,
a sheet defines and clarifies it.
Documents create flow.
Sheets create reference.

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When do you need a sheet?

Consider a sheet when:
  • You keep repeating the same setting in several documents
  • Character, place, or event info is scattered
  • You often think “what was that setting again?”
Then Pensiv asks:
Is this something you’ll
define once and refer to many times?
If yes,
a sheet is the right place, not a document.

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What you can do with sheets

Sheets are for structured reference information.
Typical uses:
  • Character
  • Place
  • Event
  • Organization
  • Item
  • Custom concepts
Each sheet:
  • Describes one clear entity
  • Is referenced from many documents, plotboards, and canvases
A sheet is not descriptive prose.
It’s the reference file that defines “what this is” in the project.

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How a sheet is laid out

Sheets are built differently from documents.
The center is not sentences but structure that defines the entity.
Think of the sheet as two areas:
  • Profile
  • Body

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① Profile

The top area of the sheet is the profile. It can include:
  • Icon
  • Title
  • Sheet type (e.g. Character / Place / Event)
  • Category
  • Description
  • Tags
  • Related documents
  • Related characters
  • Custom attributes
So
Everything that defines what this file is
and what it stands for in the project
is in the profile.
The profile is not just form fields.
  • It fixes the entity’s identity
  • Creates links to other files
  • Becomes a reference point for the project
If documents “develop the story,”
The sheet profile
fixes “what this is.”
You can:
  • Add attributes
  • Link relationships
  • Use tags to clarify grouping
The clearer the profile,
the less confusion in the project.

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② Body

Below the profile is a body for extra explanation. There you can add:
  • Background for the setting
  • Extra context
  • Things that don’t fit well as attributes
But this is not the center.
The center of a sheet is always the profile.
The body supports the definition;
it doesn’t start a new narrative.

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Sheet templates

Sheets use default attribute templates by type.
  • By sheet type,
  • common structure is created
  • and ready to use
Examples:
  • Character → category / description / relations / custom attributes
  • Place → type / features / related characters / linked files
So you don’t redesign the structure each time
and the project stays consistent.

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How do documents and sheets differ?

They work best together. Example:
  • “Alice is curious” → define on the character sheet
  • “In this scene Alice feels doubt for the first time” → narrate in the document
Then:
  • The document can develop freely
  • The setting stays stable

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Sheets live inside the structure

Sheets are not used in isolation.
  • Referenced from documents
  • Linked to plotboard cards
  • Shown on the canvas
  • Shown as nodes in the graph
A sheet is not a place to “write content”;
it’s a reference point in Pensiv’s structure.

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When you might not need a sheet

You may skip a sheet when:
  • Something appears only once
  • The idea is not fixed yet
  • The concept might change
In those cases
notes or documents are a better first step.
Sheets are not for “things I’m still thinking about”;
they’re for fixing what’s already decided.

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Summary

Sheets are not for writing a lot of text. They’re for
staying consistent and
not having to ask again —
fixing reference. If your documents are getting messy,
it may be time to move that reference into sheets.