See your whole cast across the whole book

What is on the sheet

• Twelve chapters a page

  Chapter numbers across the top are yours to write in, so the grid works for chapters 1 to 12 or 40 to 51 without renumbering anything.

• Eight characters a page

  Names down the side, with two pages in the file. Run it as sixteen characters over twelve chapters, or eight characters over twenty-four.

• A cell per intersection

  Wide enough for more than a tick: mark POV, a scene count, or a one-word note about what the character did there.

What the gaps tell you

A cast list tells you who exists. This tells you who is actually on the page, which is a different question and usually a more uncomfortable one. A character with a solid run of marks through act one and nothing after chapter 20 either left the story or was forgotten, and the grid does not let you avoid knowing which.

It is also the fastest way to plan a rewrite. Reading down a chapter column shows you every character in that chapter at once, so a scene that needs someone present, or a chapter carrying six viewpoints when you meant two, is visible without opening the manuscript.

Three ways authors fill it in

• Presence

  A single mark for "appears in this chapter". The quickest pass, and enough to find the characters who quietly disappeared.

• Point of view

  Mark only the chapters a character narrates. The row lengths then show you how the book divides its attention.

• Weight

  A number for how many scenes they carry. Useful when a secondary character is technically present everywhere but doing nothing.

Templates that pair with it

The matrix says where a character appears; the character profile template says who they are and what changed each time. For the world and the continuity details, use the story bible template. All the rest are on the templates page.

The version that fills itself in

Keeping the grid current means updating it every time you move a scene. Clifford already knows which chapter each character appears in, because it tracks them chapter by chapter, so the same view stays true as you revise. See the continuity checker and the story bible.

Character matrix FAQ

Is it free?

Yes. No paywall and no email required.

My book has more than twenty-four chapters. Does it still work?

Yes. The chapter numbers are blank fields, so print or save a copy per stretch of the book and number them as you go.

Can I type into it?

Yes, it is a fillable PDF. It also prints cleanly if you prefer to mark it by hand.

Is this the same as a beat sheet?

No. A beat sheet tracks what happens; this tracks who is present when it happens. They answer different questions and work well side by side.