What’s Wrong with Adverbs?
You can say it. Everyone in my writing group does. I am an adverb Nazi, and I’m not ashamed of it in the least.
Don’t get me wrong. When I started writing my first novel, I used them. I used them heavily, one who isn’t writing fiction might say. But then 15 chapters into the novel, I had a flash of brilliance (okay, a moment of common sense) and decided to Google “first time author mistakes.” What followed in the results was a plethora of top ten lists by authors, agents, and editors alike — all of whom I assumed had more experience than I, me being a first-time author and all. It was a humbling experience. Fifteen chapters in, and feeling mighty fine with the work I’d done so far, I found that I’d been doing a good 70% of what was on those lists. That’s mistakes, mind you.
What really caught my attention were the complaints of adverb saturation. “But that couldn’t be right, could it?” I asked myself confoundedly. Adverbs are, after all, an integral part of our language — just ask 100% of my old English teachers.
So I rolled up my digital sleeves and hit the search engines to find out why adverbs were taboo in fiction. I’ll share two quotes I found that struck me:
“If you see an adverb, kill it.”
– Mark Twain
“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
–Stephen King
Strong words. And by two well-known writer types. But what could cause such an aversion to adverbs?
Because I did a lot of research which I might save you from, and because I know attention spans are miniscule on the internet, I’ll get right to the meat of it. Here’s my list of why adverbs (mostly) suck.
1. Adverbs Weaken Sentences.
Take this sentence:
She walked up to him quickly.
On the surface, this looks like an effective sentence. But walking quickly isn’t very descriptive. The sentence doesn’t pop, either. This can be fixed by changing the verb. She can march, dash, or jog up to him, and the reader will get a better sense of the scene, rather than some vague quick walk. And the sentence pops more, too.
This also works in descriptions. Someone isn’t very angry, they’re irate. Something isn’t really big, it’s enormous.
2. Adverbs Tell.
If you’ve ever taken a creative writing class or even researched writing at all, you know this. But if you haven’t had your daily intake of this finger wag, I’ll give it to you: Show, don’t tell. (You’re welcome.)
But how in blazes are adverbs a tell? I’ll show you. Here’s another sentence:
“You’re one handsome man,” she said lovingly.
The author here didn’t show us this woman’s affection, they told us about it. There are many ways to convey a character’s emotions, and telling the reader usually isn’t the best way. Let’s breathe some show into that sentence:
She slipped her hand into his and pressed her bosom against his arm. She smiled at him, her eyelids heavy. “You’re one handsome man.”
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to be said about saying something concisely. But don’t sacrifice a reader’s immersion for it. In that second example, a reader can live through the moment and feel what the character feels. That’s what show is all about.
3. Adverbs Are Lazy.
Not all, but most adverbs are shortcuts to what otherwise can be perfectly good sentences. It’s easy to slap an adverb into places to try to emphasize something (“She wasn’t just beautiful, she was very beautiful!”). It’s also easy to throw an adverb into a speech tag to convey emotion, instead of letting actions and dialogue do the heavy lifting. But these are traps. Don’t fall into them.
Try going through your fictional work and do a search on “ly” and “very.” This will allow you to look your adverbs straight in the face and evaluate their necessity. You may find that just eliminating some will make your sentences just as strong, if not stronger.
And don’t feel bad if you find yourself sending a lot of them to their virtual demise. Know that Mark Twain would be proud.
About the Author: Christopher Kwapich
Christopher Kwapich is a freelance writer and web designer and runs the Toledo Writers Workshop. He’s written several novels and a number of short stories. He studied computer programming at the University of Toledo, where he also minored in English. Later, after obtaining a forest ranger degree, he finished his schooling on the road through what he calls “spontaneous travel.” Check him out on Facebook and Twitter.
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