Use grammar to sculpt the story

I have likened the creation of a novel to sculpture. One has a story idea and at first it is more like a blob. Then as one writes, details appear, high and low points occur, the novel takes shape and becomes something tangible. As I was writing this week, I realized how much grammar can help shape the story. I find commas very exciting.  I try not to use hyphens and colons. Semi-colons are weak and don't look nice, although Patrick O'brien used them very effectively. Adverbs are the lazy approach to writing. When I am re-writing I try to use adverbs only when they are absolutely essential to the sense of the sentence. I could go on, but learning grammar sometimes takes years of writing. A good novelist knows their grammar.