The Sin of the Adverb
If you've been writing or pursing articles on writing for any length of time then you've probably heard all about the avoidance of adverbs. But why are they so bad? They're great in a pinch and they seem to convey just the thing you want to describe. But in reality they convey very little in terms of description.
Don't get me wrong, I love using a good adverb when writing as much as the next person, but going back I always see how it weakens the story.
Let's look at two examples of sentences to prove a point.
"Alisha stepped onto the slippery ice and nearly fell over."
"Alisha stepped onto the ice and lost her footing, one leg sprawled right while the other twisted left. She shot her arms out to her sides to gain balance and just avoided a pathetic flop onto her rear."
The first sentence is okay. You know what's going on, but what does it really say? To me 'nearly' is the worst of the adverb sins becasue you don't always know what the something is that almost happened but didn't. You can see from the second sentence how much more visual your writing can be without the adverb.
Here's a challenge for you, don't use adverbs for one week. I mean Everywhere. Every time you're itching to write that 'ly' stop yourself. In your blog posts, in your short stories, and in your novels. Come out the other end and see if it doesn't make you a better writer.
I've been practicing this with my novel, but I'm going to bring it here now too. So if you see an adverb feel free to point it out, becasue we all want to be better writers.
What is your biggest writing pet peeve?
Don't get me wrong, I love using a good adverb when writing as much as the next person, but going back I always see how it weakens the story.
Let's look at two examples of sentences to prove a point.
"Alisha stepped onto the slippery ice and nearly fell over."
"Alisha stepped onto the ice and lost her footing, one leg sprawled right while the other twisted left. She shot her arms out to her sides to gain balance and just avoided a pathetic flop onto her rear."
The first sentence is okay. You know what's going on, but what does it really say? To me 'nearly' is the worst of the adverb sins becasue you don't always know what the something is that almost happened but didn't. You can see from the second sentence how much more visual your writing can be without the adverb.
I've been practicing this with my novel, but I'm going to bring it here now too. So if you see an adverb feel free to point it out, becasue we all want to be better writers.
What is your biggest writing pet peeve?
Comments
i don't have many writing pet peeves--just a few grammatical ones. Like saying "the girl that" instead of "the girl who". I'm not sure why that specific grammar issue bothers me so much. I wish it didn't because I see the error at least once a day.
My pet peeve is comma usage and usually it's too many.
Adverbs are not all evil. Some can be effective in prtraying the sense/feeling/description you wish to convey in your writing. Some words are open to varying interpretations, and adverbs sometimes help narrow it down. For instance, a whisper can be loud, harsh, or soft.
I'd say pick your battles. Do away with unnecessary adverbs, and if you must employ one, make sure it is right one for your writing.
Good luck with your challenge! ;)
I try to catch myself whenever I use an adverb and stop to consider if that's really the best word I could be using--which it often isn't.
My writing pet peeve is too many "?!"s. It just seems like way too much punctuation for emphasis that could more easily be accomplished by italics or different wording.
All things in moderation.
I enjoyed your comments about adverbs. I write picture books, so eoonomy of words is important -- no room for adverbs. I do slip them in as I blog or write. Hard habit to break. Nice job!
I think adverbs can be avoided in longer writing pieces, but it's difficult to leave them out completely in the 100-word challenge.
*whew*
I feel better now. Thanks for letting me vent.