diff --git a/src/ui/render-helpers.ts b/src/ui/render-helpers.ts
index 00f0114..9c2a3e2 100644
--- a/src/ui/render-helpers.ts
+++ b/src/ui/render-helpers.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ export function renderEditorBlock(args: {
 		availableWidth,
 		placeholder,
 		placeholderColor = "muted",
-		contentColor = "text",
 		isEmpty = false,
 	} = args;
 	const innerLines =
@@ -87,18 +86,47 @@ export function renderEditorBlock(args: {
 	for (const editorLine of innerLines) {
 		lines.push(
 			truncateToWidth(
-				`${indent}${renderInputLine(
-					editorLine,
-					availableWidth,
-					theme,
-					contentColor
-				)}`,
+				`${indent}${renderEditorLine(editorLine, availableWidth, theme)}`,
 				width
 			)
 		);
 	}
 }
 
+function renderEditorLine(
+	line: string,
+	availableWidth: number,
+	theme: Theme
+): string {
+	const innerWidth = Math.max(4, availableWidth - 2);
+	const truncated = truncateToWidth(line, innerWidth);
+	const padding = " ".repeat(Math.max(0, innerWidth - visibleWidth(truncated)));
+	return renderPersistentBackground(
+		`${truncated}${padding}`,
+		theme,
+		"selectedBg"
+	);
+}
+
+function renderPersistentBackground(
+	text: string,
+	theme: Theme,
+	background: "selectedBg"
+): string {
+	const marker = "__PI_BG_MARKER__";
+	const wrappedMarker = theme.bg(background, marker);
+	const markerIndex = wrappedMarker.indexOf(marker);
+	if (markerIndex === -1) {
+		return theme.bg(background, ` ${text} `);
+	}
+
+	const prefix = wrappedMarker.slice(0, markerIndex);
+	const suffix = wrappedMarker.slice(markerIndex + marker.length);
+	const ansiReset = "\u001b[0m";
+	const reopenedText = text.split(ansiReset).join(`${ansiReset}${prefix}`);
+	return `${prefix} ${reopenedText} ${suffix}`;
+}
+
 export function renderBox(
 	content: Array<{ text: string; color: ThemeColor }>,
 	width: number,
diff --git a/src/ui/render-question.ts b/src/ui/render-question.ts
index 0d7a8db..5105146 100644
--- a/src/ui/render-question.ts
+++ b/src/ui/render-question.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import {
 	mergeColumns,
 	pushWrappedText,
 	renderEditorBlock,
-	renderInputLine,
 	renderPreviewPaneContent,
 } from "./render-helpers.ts";
 import type {
@@ -436,25 +435,21 @@ function renderInteractiveCustomOption(
 	optionColor: ReturnType<typeof getOptionColor>
 ) {
 	const { lines, editor, theme, width } = context;
-	const label = `${index + 1}. ${prefix}`;
-	const availableWidth = Math.max(
-		1,
-		width - visibleWidth(pointer) - visibleWidth(label)
+	pushWrappedText(
+		lines,
+		`${index + 1}. ${prefix}Type your own`,
+		width,
+		theme,
+		optionColor,
+		pointer,
+		" ".repeat(visibleWidth(pointer))
 	);
-	const text = editor.getText().replace(/\n/g, " ");
-	const hasText = text.trim().length > 0;
-	const inputText = hasText ? text : UI_TEXT.editorPlaceholderInput;
-	const inputColor = hasText ? "text" : "muted";
-	lines.push(
-		truncateToWidth(
-			`${pointer}${theme.fg(optionColor, label)}${renderInputLine(
-				inputText,
-				availableWidth,
-				theme,
-				inputColor
-			)}`,
-			width
-		)
+	renderIndentedEditor(
+		lines,
+		editor,
+		width,
+		theme,
+		UI_TEXT.editorPlaceholderInput
 	);
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/render-helpers.test.ts b/tests/render-helpers.test.ts
index 9a2cc3c..d644747 100644
--- a/tests/render-helpers.test.ts
+++ b/tests/render-helpers.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { renderEditorBlock } from "../src/ui/render-helpers.ts";
 const ABC_PATTERN = /abc/;
 const BORDER_PATTERN = /┌|└/;
 const TYPE_YOUR_PATTERN = /Type your/;
+const SELECTED_BG_PATTERN = /\{selectedBg\}/;
 
 function mockTheme() {
 	return {
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ test("renderEditorBlock strips editor borders", () => {
 	const lines: string[] = [];
 	renderEditorBlock({
 		lines,
-		editorLines: ["┌──┐", "│abc│", "└──┘"],
+		editorLines: ["┌──┐", "abc", "└──┘"],
 		width: 40,
 		theme: mockTheme() as never,
 		indent: "   ",
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ test("renderEditorBlock strips editor borders", () => {
 
 	assert.equal(lines.length, 1);
 	assert.match(lines[0], ABC_PATTERN);
+	assert.match(lines[0], SELECTED_BG_PATTERN);
 	assert.doesNotMatch(lines[0], BORDER_PATTERN);
 });
 
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ test("renderEditorBlock shows a muted placeholder when empty", () => {
 	const lines: string[] = [];
 	renderEditorBlock({
 		lines,
-		editorLines: ["┌──┐", "│  │", "└──┘"],
+		editorLines: ["┌──┐", "  ", "└──┘"],
 		width: 40,
 		theme: mockTheme() as never,
 		indent: "   ",
@@ -48,5 +50,22 @@ test("renderEditorBlock shows a muted placeholder when empty", () => {
 
 	assert.equal(lines.length, 1);
 	assert.match(lines[0], TYPE_YOUR_PATTERN);
+	assert.match(lines[0], SELECTED_BG_PATTERN);
 	assert.doesNotMatch(lines[0], BORDER_PATTERN);
 });
+
+test("renderEditorBlock reapplies background after editor reset sequences", () => {
+	const lines: string[] = [];
+	renderEditorBlock({
+		lines,
+		editorLines: ["┌──┐", "abc\x1b[7m \x1b[0m", "└──┘"],
+		width: 40,
+		theme: mockTheme() as never,
+		indent: "   ",
+		availableWidth: 40,
+	});
+
+	assert.equal(lines.length, 1);
+	assert.match(lines[0], SELECTED_BG_PATTERN);
+	assert(lines[0].includes("\x1b[0m{selectedBg}"));
+});
diff --git a/tests/render-question.test.ts b/tests/render-question.test.ts
index eb991c0..be9c89e 100644
--- a/tests/render-question.test.ts
+++ b/tests/render-question.test.ts
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ function mockTheme() {
 	} as never;
 }
 
-function mockEditor(text = "") {
+function mockEditor(text = "", renderedLines?: string[]) {
 	return {
 		getText() {
 			return text;
 		},
 		render() {
-			return [];
+			return renderedLines ?? [];
 		},
 	} as never;
 }
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ test("custom option stays labeled before selection", () => {
 	assert(!lines.some((line) => line.includes("Type your answer...")));
 });
 
-test("selected custom option becomes inline input", () => {
+test("selected custom option keeps its label and renders editor below", () => {
 	let state = createInitialState({
 		questions: [
 			{
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ test("selected custom option becomes inline input", () => {
 
 	const lines: string[] = [];
 	renderQuestionScreen({
-		editor: mockEditor(""),
+		editor: mockEditor("", ["┌────┐", "", "└────┘"]),
 		lines,
 		options: getRenderableOptions(state.questions[0]),
 		question: state.questions[0],
@@ -79,6 +79,40 @@ test("selected custom option becomes inline input", () => {
 		width: 80,
 	});
 
+	assert(lines.some((line) => line.includes("Type your own")));
 	assert(lines.some((line) => line.includes("Type your answer...")));
-	assert(!lines.some((line) => line.includes("Type your own answer")));
+});
+
+test("selected multiline custom option renders full editor block", () => {
+	let state = createInitialState({
+		questions: [
+			{
+				id: "q1",
+				prompt: "Pick one",
+				options: [{ value: "a", label: "A" }],
+			},
+		],
+	});
+	state = applyNumberShortcut(state, 2);
+
+	const lines: string[] = [];
+	renderQuestionScreen({
+		editor: mockEditor("first line\nsecond line", [
+			"┌────┐",
+			"first line",
+			"second line",
+			"└────┘",
+		]),
+		lines,
+		options: getRenderableOptions(state.questions[0]),
+		question: state.questions[0],
+		state,
+		theme: mockTheme(),
+		width: 80,
+	});
+
+	assert(lines.some((line) => line.includes("Type your own")));
+	assert(lines.some((line) => line.includes("first line")));
+	assert(lines.some((line) => line.includes("second line")));
+	assert(!lines.some((line) => line.includes("first line second line")));
 });