As I happily assume my writing position and easily slip into my chair before the computer screen, I’m very glad finally to have an idea of what I can cleverly say.
Even an inexperienced writer would cringe at the previous sentence. All those “…ly” words along with the overused “very” appear all too frequently (notice the “…ly” word?) here and elsewhere. At a very minimum the sentence could have been rewritten as “I slip into my chair, hands on the keyboard, and dash off my clever words.” May not be great, but at least an improvement.
The words “happily,” “easily,” “very,” “finally,” and “cleverly” are examples of adverbs, words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Sometimes I’m not sure I can tell when a word is an adverb. I’m not even sure my list given here is correct. I don’t feel too bad about that since the online reference Dictionary.com describes adverbs as a “grammatical wastebasket—the part of speech into which you toss anything you can’t otherwise categorize.”
No wonder Stephen King warns of the dangers of adverbs, admonishing prospective writers to avoid them at all cost. When I read that advice in his book on writing, my first reaction was “Uh oh!” I was guilty as charged, although I like to believe I would never have written the first paragraph of this blog (until, of course, I did write it).
Most of us have had it drummed into our heads that “very” is a weak word, a very weak word if you will. That seems to be true. Almost every time I employ it a residual alarm from my education sounds and I wonder if I actually need it. I almost never do. For example, suppose I’m tempted to say, “I have a very bad headache.” The “very” tells the reader it is more than a run-of-the-mill bad headache. But it does seem blah, not all that informative. Seems to me you get a better picture with “My head is exploding in pain.”
Being me, once I read King’s admonition, I started to eliminate adverbs from my writing. I was shocked to discover that this can be done more often than I expected, and I keep the rule in mind in my writing. I started to say I “definitely” keep it in mind in my writing. But then I would have been employing an adverb.
From the moment of “King’s educational message” I started reading with an eye to uncovering offenders, never expecting to see much. But what did I learn? Even the most successful writers spew adverbs all over the place. Stephen King himself employs them more than I would have expected.
Now I’m in a quandary. Are adverbs villains to be avoided at all costs, or are they friends to help emphasize key points in a narrative?
I’ve decided the answer is like so many answers when it comes to writing. No rule is inviolate. But rules usually exist for reasons. So, it seems prudent to question every adverb that pours from the keyboard, rejecting those where simple rewording increases the effectiveness of the writing and keeping the rest. That’s what I now try to do.
Even an inexperienced writer would cringe at the previous sentence. All those “…ly” words along with the overused “very” appear all too frequently (notice the “…ly” word?) here and elsewhere. At a very minimum the sentence could have been rewritten as “I slip into my chair, hands on the keyboard, and dash off my clever words.” May not be great, but at least an improvement.
The words “happily,” “easily,” “very,” “finally,” and “cleverly” are examples of adverbs, words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Sometimes I’m not sure I can tell when a word is an adverb. I’m not even sure my list given here is correct. I don’t feel too bad about that since the online reference Dictionary.com describes adverbs as a “grammatical wastebasket—the part of speech into which you toss anything you can’t otherwise categorize.”
No wonder Stephen King warns of the dangers of adverbs, admonishing prospective writers to avoid them at all cost. When I read that advice in his book on writing, my first reaction was “Uh oh!” I was guilty as charged, although I like to believe I would never have written the first paragraph of this blog (until, of course, I did write it).
Most of us have had it drummed into our heads that “very” is a weak word, a very weak word if you will. That seems to be true. Almost every time I employ it a residual alarm from my education sounds and I wonder if I actually need it. I almost never do. For example, suppose I’m tempted to say, “I have a very bad headache.” The “very” tells the reader it is more than a run-of-the-mill bad headache. But it does seem blah, not all that informative. Seems to me you get a better picture with “My head is exploding in pain.”
Being me, once I read King’s admonition, I started to eliminate adverbs from my writing. I was shocked to discover that this can be done more often than I expected, and I keep the rule in mind in my writing. I started to say I “definitely” keep it in mind in my writing. But then I would have been employing an adverb.
From the moment of “King’s educational message” I started reading with an eye to uncovering offenders, never expecting to see much. But what did I learn? Even the most successful writers spew adverbs all over the place. Stephen King himself employs them more than I would have expected.
Now I’m in a quandary. Are adverbs villains to be avoided at all costs, or are they friends to help emphasize key points in a narrative?
I’ve decided the answer is like so many answers when it comes to writing. No rule is inviolate. But rules usually exist for reasons. So, it seems prudent to question every adverb that pours from the keyboard, rejecting those where simple rewording increases the effectiveness of the writing and keeping the rest. That’s what I now try to do.
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