I just finished Chapter 12 of "The Language of Shadows." And I'm mad at myself. Not because it's bad – on the contrary, it turned out pretty good. But because I realized how much I spoiled.
Kael is the chronicler of the ruin city Vaelith. He can whisper, and his words change the reality of the city. That's a strong idea. But while I was writing it, I fell into a trap: I wanted to tell so much about magic and language that the focus on Kael himself got lost. He's an interesting character – shy, almost fragile – but at the end of the book he's just a function of the plot. He has no own story left, except the one I gave him.
I learned: When you create a world, it shouldn't be more important than the people in it. The ruin city Vaelith is impressive – whispering walls, shifting streets. But Kael needs to be more than just the one who masters the language of shadows. He needs his own story, his own motivation, his own... attitude.
An example: In chapter 4 there's a scene where Kael crawls through an alley. The walls pressed against his hands as if they were holding him there. That's a strong scene. But why did he crawl through? Was it fear, or was it a conscious decision? If I can't clarify that then the scene is just an effect without meaning.
I will revise chapter 12. Not because it's bad, but because Kael deserved more than just a function in the story. He deserves his decisions to have weight. That's my lesson from "The Language of Shadows": A world can be impressive, but without a strong character in it remains empty. And Kael is more than just a tool for my magic. He's a person I haven't fully understood yet.