The Adverb
Are they great, good, terrible or fine? Should writers use them or not use them? Me, I like to use them in moderation. Maybe once or twice a chapter. If I’ve used more than that, I try to get rid of them when I edit. I don’t mind reading a book that has them. But if there’s about six of them on one page or three in one sentence? Six on every single page?? I start to grumble. I forget I’m reading and start paying attention to how many frickin adverbs there are.
So, I thought I’d write a post on why I think using fewer adverbs leads to better writing. Please note: This is not to say I think writers who use them often are bad writers. I’m just not a fan of it.
1. Redundancy. Sometimes, they just aren’t necessary. One of the best writing advice I’ve heard is to use as few words as possible to get your point across. For example - “The boy hurried quickly.” Is “quickly” necessary here? No, I didn’t think so. Saying “the boy hurried” is just fine and much cleaner than adding that redundant adverb. Or - “She mouthed silently.” Isn’t mouthing silent already? Is it necessary to clarify this?
2. Lazy. Yes, I think using adverbs can equal lazy writing. When I’m feeling lazy or having trouble formulating the right words, I’m more inclined to throw in an adverb there to get the point across. For example, in dialogue, it’s easy to just throw in something like, “she said icily” than making it apparent she’s being icy by what she says and by how she acts.
3. Telling vs. Showing. This is similar to the one above, but I wanted to point this out as well. Showing is much more effective in writing than just telling the reader what’s going on. For example - “She stared disapprovingly.” Blah. How about - “She frowned.” It can even be expanded with more showing. “She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.” Simple, but more effective than that disapprovingly word. What’s staring disapprovingly mean anyway? What does her face look like? What is she doing to convey the disapproving? Another example - “She laughed evilly.” How about - “She cackled.” I think cackling conveys the evil kind of laughing just fine.
This is not to say that I am against using adverbs. But like anything else, moderation is key. Plus, if it’s the best word to use in that particular instance, then by all means. However, a lot of the time there’s a better sentence out there just waiting to be written.
*off to edit out the adverbs lurking around in the WIP*
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Comments
“She cackled”? Were you reading over my shoulder this weekend?
I’ve always been a fan of moderation, so I see where you’re coming from. But, I have a feeling that I probably use way more adverbs than I should. Certainly something I’ll be on the look-out for from now on.
I’m finding this page rather useful,
http://www.sfwriter.com/ow06.htm
I particularly like the bit about searching for words ending in -ly and hacking them out
I like to think that I’ve slain the adverb monster in my writing. But first, I have to go and look at my latest novel and make sure. Because ya know, they do tend to sneak in there.
But what if I use them moderately, carefully, and considerately, always cautiously watching myself, tiptoeing daintily through the manuscript, distributing the adverbs gently and attentively?
What then, I ask curiously?
Okay, I’m done now.
Kristin - Hahaha, that was magically and brilliantly funny.
Excellent description on why we need to avoid ly-adverbs. Thanks!
I use a terrific online tool to identify ly-adverbs plus a bunch of other writing weaknesses. It’s at autocrit.com and it saves me a huge amount of time when I’m editing.
I wouldn’t be published without it
@JayT: Thanks, I’ll check out that program. I do like ly-adverbs in moderation. Sometimes they add a nice touch to a sentence, and it’s when I see them ten a page that it bugs me.
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