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Author: Rachel Grosvenor

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Craft

5 Questions to Ask Your Chapter

When it comes to writing and editing chapters, we need to be in two different mind frames. Writing chapters is the art of creation, where we get the story out and take our character from A-B-C (most likely). But, when it comes to editing, we need to be asking ‘Is this a good chapter?’ and ‘Does this chapter work?’. Here are five questions to help you check that your chapter is doing what it needs to do:

1) Have you set the reader in time and space?

If so, the reader can come to your chapter after a break and understand where and when they are in the character’s journey. You don’t need to write a huge introduction that covers this, but rather to add a sentence or two to encapsulate your character’s journey.

2) Does your character try to make progress in their physical or personal journey?

They might not achieve it, but there should be something driving the narrative forward, a desire or act to reach that overarching goal. If there isn’t, the reader will finish the chapter feeling untethered and unsure of what the purpose was.

3) Does something change in the chapter?

It might be a character relationship, a thought, a decision, or something bigger, like a world event. Remember that every chapter needs to drive that narrative, so even if it’s something like a world event getting in your character’s way and actually pushing their journey backwards, something needs to change or solidify to make a satisfying addition.

4) Does the reader have a clear image of the scene?

Read your chapter from the point of view of your reader and try to imagine what you have described. If you’re finding it difficult, consider what you might change to make the image clearer (setting detail, for example).

5) Is there cause and effect in your chapter?

In life and fiction, one thing leads to another. So, if in your last chapter, your main character stole a loaf of bread, show us the effect in this chapter. This is also a great way of making sure that you aren’t dropping any threads in your novel.

I hope this helps you when editing your chapters!
Want to read something similar? Check these out:

What Should You Include in Act 1 of Your Novel?
An Easy Way to Characterise Your Setting

I’m now booking for 2026, so if you’re looking for a qualified editor and writing coach with over thirteen years’ experience, get in touch for a free, obligation-free thirty-minute chat.

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Craft

Why Does a Live Developmental Edit Work?

Why Does a Live Developmental Edit Work?

My developmental editing package ‘The End’ is a live package for those who have finished the first draft of their novel.

But why choose a live developmental edit over a report?

To limit overwhelm. It can be overwhelming to receive a 100-page document on your novel. After listening to the needs of my clients, I realised that we would be able to get more done without the overwhelm by combining coaching and editing, working through changes together.

To give you the opportunity to talk through changes ahead of making them. This alone is worth its weight in gold – you should always feel free to push against your editor, and this will provide opportunity for discussion at every stage – far beyond the usual post edit chat.

To collaboratively create solutions that you’re comfortable with. No guessing, no altering to something you’re unsure of without discussion – together, we will make your novel stronger through live collaboration.

To give you support and hold you accountable. Instead of being given a report to deal with in your own time, you’ll be set up with supportive calls to help you through the process. This also increases the likelihood of you finishing the edits within a specific timeframe too!

So, what’s included in ‘The End’ package?

9 hours of Zoom calls broken into 1 hour pre-edit, so I can understand the aims of the novel. Flexible editing and coaching sessions moving forward, giving you the opportunity to work on your edits in between.

A 125-page workbook to help you understand how you have answered your intentions and goals for the novel.

A live developmental edit, with the opportunity to work through your novel in manageable chunks alongside an experienced coach and editor.

The chance to get your edits checked as you work on them, so that you know you’re left with a strong novel.

Accountability so that you can edit your novel on your own timescale.

In-text feedback for the entire novel.

Detailed summaries of coaching calls so that you revisit the discussions as needed, and optional recordings.

Weekly email check-ins.

A detailed overview of our planned work together, taking into account narrative, characterisation, dialogue, consistency, target audience, reader expectations, structure and plot, magic systems, tense and point of view, pacing, setting, themes (internal and external), tension, line editing considerations, and plot notes and recommendations.

If this sounds like something that would work for you, get in touch today. I’m now booking for 2026!

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Craft

What Should You Include in Act 1 of Your Novel?

What Should You Include in Act 1 of Your Novel?

So, you’re writing a novel!

It’s a bit like baking a cake, in a roundabout, not very much but I’m going to run with the metaphor for this post, way. You need to make sure you add in your ingredients before you put it in the oven. Otherwise, the cake won’t rise. But what are the correct ingredients? Let’s see…

Your main character / protagonist:

The person/creature/individual we are going to follow for the rest of this book. Who are they, what is ‘life as normal’ for them, what do we need to know, what do they want, why can’t they have it, and why are we joining them to read about their amazing story?

Your world:

What is home to your protagonist, or where are they, and why are they there? Who do they live with?

Tone: 

Think about the difference between Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Soul Music by Terry Pratchett. Or even, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. You may not have read the books, but you may be aware from promotional material that they have a distinct tone from one another. The first act is where you set this up. Are we reading something that’s amusing, with wry wit, in the style of Pratchett? Or, something serious and literary, in the style of Mantel?

An inciting incident:

Something is needed in your first act that pushes your protagonist out of their ‘life as normal’ and into a new decision/life/world. This is the thing that galvanises your character to act, the thing that forces your reader to want to read on. This is the moment that sets the stakes for the novel.

Now you can put your cake in the oven, and watch it rise! Or, you know, write the first act of your novel successfully.

Looking for an editor and writing coach for next year? Get in touch now, and see how I can help you.

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Craft

What’s the Difference Between External Plot and Internal Plot?

What’s the Difference Between External Plot and Internal Plot?

When we think about writing, we often think about plotting action to drive a narrative forward. However, taking an extra step and separating the external plot from the internal plot can deliver not just momentum to your novel, but character development.

Let’s think about this by following the plot of a tale we all know: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (I often choose this story, and you might ask why. It’s because it’s a tale we’re pretty much all aware of, even if we haven’t read it!)

External:                        

Scrooge is introduced, refuses to go to his nephew’s house, and refuses to give to those collecting for charity.

Internal:

Scrooge is a lonely, bitter man who cannot value the true meaning of wealth.

External:            

Scrooge is visited by his old business partner’s ghost, Marley, who tells him there will be three more hauntings.

Internal:

Scrooge is met by Marley, someone he respected and cared for, who helps him see that there is more to his behaviour than he might suspect.

External:            

The Ghost of Christmas Past visits and takes Scrooge back to his memories of childhood.

Internal:

Scrooge’s heart is opened by what he sees. He remembers the joy of playing with friends and his love for his sister.

I’m sure you see where I’m going with this! When you’re writing, think about your plot points, and for each plot point, consider: What is the story here? What internal journey will your external plot take your character on, and how will that develop them?

I can’t wait to see where your story goes! If you want to talk about this further, click here. 

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Coaching Publishing

How Much Does a Developmental Edit Cost?

How much does a Developmental Edit Cost?

Money. It’s a difficult subject. But come on, let’s get into it.

Imagine you’re in need of a Developmental Edit (someone to review your structure, narrative, character development, and more) for your 80k word novel. You reach out to an editor (or more than one!)…

What can you expect in terms of cost?

Based on various factors, you should expect a range between*:

$2200/£1650 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3160/£2360

(Disclaimer: there will, of course, be instances that go lower and higher.) *Based on EFA and Reedsy standard rates

What are the factors that impact this?
  • Experience (someone more experienced will likely charge more)
  • Time in business (someone with a newer business may offer lower rates while they gather testimonials)
  • Complexity (if your work is complex, it may take longer)
What does it include?

Well, that depends too. Editors offer different services. For example, I offer a ‘Live Developmental Edit’. That means, in my Dev Edit package, I charge £0.020 per word, provide a workbook, in-text notes, an editing summary, and include 9 hours of coaching time to go through the edits. Some editors charge more per word and offer a report, so you might find that though we cost the same for a project, we provide different styles of feedback.

How are these costs figured out?

Editors charge differently. Here’s the average:

$0.028-$0.040/£0.021-£0.030 – per word

$50.00–$60.00/£37-£45 – per hour

$7.50–$10.00/£5.50-£7.50 – per page

Why is it so expensive?

Yes, hiring an editor can be expensive. Here are some of the reasons why:

  • The task is demanding, and as editing takes such intense focus, we can only spend a limited amount of time a day on it. It also requires time to think about the issues and the best step forward.
  • It requires specialist knowledge. For example, I studied in higher education for 8 years and have worked in this field for over 10 years. Experience costs money.
  • Most editors are running a small business. That means that there are lots of costs involved, including tax, office equipment, and bills to run them, websites, training, marketing, memberships, and much more. There’s also the stuff outside of that, like food and family responsibilities.
Anything else?
  • Most editors offer payment plans, so don’t be afraid to ask.
  • Be prepared to put down a deposit to ‘save your spot’!
  • Contact an editor well ahead of time, as we book up far in advance.

At the start of this year, I raised my prices in line with my expertise and experience. Still, I’m not near the top regarding charging per word, etc., but I am comfortable with my current rates. Between 2020 and 2024, I was charging below industry average. This often happens when someone starts a new business, as you need those all important testimonials and gaining a client base. I’m sharing this information for two reasons:

1: If you are looking at this slideshow and worrying that you won’t find someone within your budget, look around. You may find someone (like me over the last few years) who is qualified and experienced but working for a lower rate for a period of time to grow their new business.

2: To share an awareness of the industry pricing standard and what goes into it so that you can make more informed decisions in your search for an editor.

I hope this has been helpful!

Looking for a similar read?

What Does It Mean to Edit for Genre?

 

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Craft

An Easy Way to Characterise Your Setting

Characterise Your Setting

Writers and readers often discuss setting as a character, which usually means that the setting impacts a story or the character to such an extent that it becomes lifelike.

The setting and environment play an active role in the story, like the marsh in Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens). The marsh, the creatures that live within it, the way it impacts the tension in the novel (doing my best not to give away any spoilers here), how it works with the main character and the plot, turns into more than a setting: it is a living character in the story.

But how do we characterise our setting?

Let’s break it down and make it simple, using Where the Crawdads Sing as inspiration:

Behaviour: How does your world behave? In Where the Crawdads Sing, the marsh is a living thing, providing education, food, a living, creativity, and more, for the main character.

Culture: What do people know and believe about your world? In Where the Crawdads Sing, the marsh is not inhabited by the townsfolk. It is viewed as a nuisance place, disliked by the general population for the very reasons the main character loves it. The fact that the main character is left alone plays a huge role in both her story and the overall plotline.

Secrets: What lies beneath that shiny veneer of your world? In Where the Crawdads Sing, the marsh keeps the deepest secrets that only the main character knows. The other townsfolk try to find out but do not know the space as the main character does. The secrets are even mentioned in the text:

“The marsh did not confine them but defined them and, like any sacred ground, kept their secrets deep. No one cared that they held the land because nobody else wanted it. After all, it was wasteland bog.” (Delia Owens)

So, do you want the easy way to remember these three hints at turning your setting into character? Next time you’re struggling to remember how to do this, remember the following mnemonic device (I’ve come up with this, so I’m sorry if this is a cringer. You become a bit cringe in your middle age and care less and less about it):

  • Become (behaviour)
  • Character (culture)
  • Setting (secrets)

There you go. I hope this was useful, and I can’t wait to see your setting character develop! Or, if I have just encouraged you to read Where the Crawdads Sing, that’s no bad thing.

 

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Craft

Foreboding vs Foreshadowing

foreboding vs foreshadowing

 

Let’s talk about foreboding and foreshadowing. They sound similar, but they do different things in your novel and are both very effective in their own right.

Here’s what each does and how to utilise them effectively:

Foreboding:

You may have heard the phrase, ‘Filled with a sense of foreboding,’ or perhaps you have even said it yourself! It means that you feel impending disaster, a concern for the future. Are we going to talk about The Lord of the Rings now? Yes, of course we are. I can barely get through a blog post without mentioning it. Galadriel has the gift of seeing visions in her ‘mirror’, so she has more than foreboding; she has the skill of predicting an outcome based on a set of circumstances. Frodo looks into the mirror and sees the destruction of the Shire, the arrest of his friends, and more. Now, this is a slightly different way of showing foreboding; it isn’t the witches in Macbeth relaying their sense that ‘something wicked this way comes,’ and therefore indicating a shift to the reader, but it is a hint of what could be, at what Frodo fears might happen, should he fail in his duty to destroy the one ring. Foreboding, therefore, hints at peril on the horizon, making the tension in the story that much stronger. Whether or not that peril comes to pass is up to you as the author.

Foreshadowing:

Foreshadowing is different. Foreshadowing is about dropping breadcrumbs that your reader may not even notice until they have seen the whole loaf of bread at the end of the novel. You might foreshadow by planting an image, a detail, that won’t be significant until a final reveal. Foreshadowing can also be in dialogue, like in Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet declares, “If he be married / My grave is like to be my wedding bed.” When you first hear this, you think that she is talking about the depth of her love, in that way that young lovers do, when it feels like the very emotion is life and death. What is being foreshadowed, however, is that she is exactly right. There’s no exaggeration here, but we won’t know that until the end. So, if foreboding creates tension, what does foreshadowing do? It can create a deeper connection between your reader and the narrative, giving them an ‘Oh!’ moment when they see how an incident has been foreshadowed. It can also keep a reader curious, throw them off the scent (red herrings are a classic foreshadowing tool; only the things you’re foreshadowing are irrelevant), and ultimately, is an enticing tool that makes a novel memorable.

As a side note, too much of anything is never good (unless it is cheese, perhaps). Too much foreboding will do the opposite of your intention, desensitising the reader to the tension in the story. Too much foreshadowing will make the story predictable and will signpost what’s to come.

Found this blog post helpful? Check out the following:

What Is ‘The Sacred Flaw’ In Writing?

What Does It Mean to Edit for Genre?

What Does It Mean to Write What You Know?

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Coaching

Is Your Metric for Author Success Becoming a Problem?

Is Your Metric for Author Success Becoming a Problem?

Do you feel like every time you log onto Instagram someone else is sharing that they have an agent or an amazing publishing deal? If only 1 out of 1000 authors get an agent, why does it seem like that?

I’ll tell you why: your reality is being distorted by confirmation bias and selective attention. It’s like choosing to buy a red car, and suddenly seeing only red cars everywhere.

Here’s the truth of it: If your focus is purely on traditional publishingas a success metric, you’re going to miss out on the diverse experiences and perspectives in the writing community, and, unless you become that 1 in 1000, you’re going to find the experience far less rewarding than you would if you changed your metric of success.

And here’s the brutal truth: your dream agent or publisher may never materialise, but don’t panic, because there’s also good news: traditional publishing isn’t the only path to share your story.

If you are comparing upwards, which means making a comparison to the people who you believe are incredibly successful, you are doing yourself a disservice. You are forgetting to see how lucky you are, how intelligent you are, how talented you are at writing, how much joy it brings. It’s essential to think about what success means to you as an author. For me, it is readers enjoying my work.

Without exaggeration, redefining your metric for author success could change your life, and bring so much more joy into your writing world.

Want to read something similar?

Check these out:

5 Things I Wish I Had Known before Writing My First Novel

10 Ways to Grow as a Writer

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Craft

Six Books on Writing I Recommend

recommended books

Let’s chat about my favourite, and by that I mean my most recommended, books on writing. Why? Because if reading is how you become a better writer (spoiler alert, it is), imagine how great you’ll be if you’re reading about writing.

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

There are several books in this incredible series, from the Emotion Thesaurus’ to the Urban Setting Thesaurus, but this is my favourite. It is an unflinching examination of everything that could happen to a person, with triggers that might come from that, aftershocks, character traits, behaviours, and more. When it comes to creating a character and developing a plot around them (writing a character-driven novel), this book is so helpful that it ought to sit pride of place on your bookshelf. In fact, mine sits right beside me on my study desk, as I dip into it so often.

Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life – Dani Shapiro.

I have probably spoken about this before on the blog or in newsletters somewhere because this book is a firm fave and has been for years. If I were ever to gift a fellow writer a book, it would be this one. Why? Because it will give you insight into the life of a writer and, in doing so, make you feel seen. It’s a mixture of craft, memoir, and what it means to write. In short, it’s pretty wonderful.

Writing from the Senses: 59 Exercises to Ignite Creativity and Revitalize Your Writing – Laura Deutsch.

I found this book at a campsite book swap in the South Island, New Zealand. And it’s stunning. It focuses on that thing that really grabs your readers and pulls them into a story: the five senses. It is full of exercises and clever ideas to help you create.

How to Write Like Tolstoy – Richard Cohen

My inlaws gifted me this book when I graduated from my PhD. Then, it had just come out, and the title amused me. But, this isn’t really a book on how to write like Tolstoy, but it is an investigation into many storytellers’ processes, and it’s fascinating for it. It’s a very readable book, and I honestly think that even if you weren’t a writer, you would probably enjoy it!

Wonderbook – The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction – Jeff Vandermeer.

In terms of books on writing, this has got to be the most visually beautiful one ever written. This is for all you fantasy writers, and it is full of information focusing on craft and motivation. It has essays from some of the greats in it, too. I find myself dipping into this often, and its illustrations make it so enjoyable to read.

Taking Reality by Surprise – Susan Sellers.

I purchased this book in 2006 when I went to university for my undergraduate degree in Creative Writing. It still sits on my bookshelf today and is a great resource I use often. It has craft guidance with exercises and very practical advice, and I find the level of detail in what you need to undertake the tasks and exercises so valuable.

I would love to hear about the books you recommend. What is your favourite book on writing? Let me know!

Categories
Craft

Is Your Character Comfortable with Their Status?

Character status
Are You Comfortable with Your Status?

Oh, sorry, not you. Your character.

Let’s chat about it. Your character’s comfort in their status can say a lot about them. It can be a window into their mindset, confidence, and more.

Let’s explore this for just a moment (with an excellent example from How To Own The Room by Viv Groskop):

Your character is at a cocktail party. It’s a fancy, black-tie affair, and everyone is dressed up. Your character is wearing a suit, bowtie, and, it turns out, exactly the same attire as the waiting staff at the party. A peer walks into the room, looks around, and catches eye with your character. They go over, and instead of introducing themselves, they ask for a martini.

Now, pause for a moment…

What does your character do?

If your answer is that your character makes the martini, gives it to their peer, and laughs about it later with a friend, your character is happy with their status.

If your answer is that your character tells this person exactly who they are and that they should check themselves, getting irate, your character is unhappy with their status.

And so, if they’re unhappy with their status in society, in life, with their friends, what does this do to your novel? It creates a storyview* in which your character is prone to be the victim, ready to take offence, and quick to rise in temper. This, in turn, changes how you might introduce your character and what might drive your plot forward. Think of how they speak to other people (or dragons, depending on what you’re writing), how they dress, who they strive to be and where they want to go.

Could your character’s comfort level in their status be their sacred flaw? (Not sure what I’m talking about? Check out last month’s blog post!).

*Not a typo! Storyview vs Worldview is a concept explained by Jeff Vandermeer in Wonderbook – The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, chapter 6.