Solace is now a novel. It's a bad novel, but I don't care. I have learned a lot and there is still a long way before it becomes a presentable product. So what have I learned during this grueling eight months of self-appointed discipline?
-I have a good start, a terrific ending and a general idea of my development, but not much else.
-You have to create images before creating a story. Therefore, the first draft was painful and boring but now I have it mapped out.
-The words: as, if, or, and, that, the, is, it, where, was, to, in and such are parasites. They drain the life away from your story. They also lead to a loss of accuracy. You might need them, but keep yourself in check with those.
-The fear of long sentences and multiple commas is like the fear of going in deep waters at the pool. It's stupid. Use long sentences if you need to, writing is about rhythm, you need long and short sentences in order to create good fiction. Monotony must be your greatest fear.
-Adjectives and adverbs are indeed a problem. I still struggle to find them any value at all. Adverbs in particular are to be avoided at all costs.
-Mechanics and mathematics are important. The Elements Of Style is an enlightening read in that regards. The best help books for writing are those who try to help you shape your style instead of giving you one and The Elements Of Style does just that.
-Declarative sentences are a problem.
I have learned more than that, but this is the quantifiable part I have learned from my first draft. There will be more and more as I expect to dig deeper for the second and third draft (which is the Beta Readers draft). Oh how exhilarating! I'm leaping over the void once again.
