Adverbs are generally considered to be a weak construction, a way to slather lots of frosting on a mediocre cake. Good writing prefers strong, active verb constructions. Adverbs should be used........sparingly.
Nandi: I ain't her. Mal: Only people in this room is you and me.
'Heart Of Gold'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
DavidS - Feb 28, 2012 3:47:34 pm PST #18013 of 28267
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
DavidS - Feb 28, 2012 3:48:10 pm PST #18014 of 28267
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
(See a better construction would be to say something like, "Be stingy with adverbs." The active verb makes it more vivid.)
-t - Feb 28, 2012 3:52:37 pm PST #18015 of 28267
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
"Be" is active?
Atropa - Feb 28, 2012 3:52:49 pm PST #18016 of 28267
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
Adverbs are generally considered to be a weak construction, a way to slather lots of frosting on a mediocre cake. Good writing prefers strong, active verb constructions. Adverbs should be used........sparingly.
Unsurprisingly, I don't agree with this. I feel it's more of a guideline than a rule.
DavidS - Feb 28, 2012 3:55:39 pm PST #18017 of 28267
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
"Be" is active?
Yeah not so much.
Unsurprisingly, I don't agree with this.
Tell it to Strunk and White, missy.
Atropa - Feb 28, 2012 3:56:59 pm PST #18018 of 28267
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
Tell it to Strunk and White, missy.
Strangely, I don't feel Strunk and White are the final arbitrators of literary style, especially not for fiction. I'll be over here with my Ray Bradbury collection, thanks.
Steph L. - Feb 28, 2012 3:59:11 pm PST #18019 of 28267
I look more rad than Lutheranism
Unsurprisingly, I don't agree with this. I feel it's more of a guideline than a rule.
Nor do I. Stark spare minimalistic prose construction has its place, of course, but it's generally not on my shelf.
Amy - Feb 28, 2012 4:01:11 pm PST #18020 of 28267
Because books.
Strangely, I don't feel Strunk and White are the final arbitrators of literary style, especially not for fiction.
That's putting it mildly. I agree, of course.
It's helpful to keep in mind that a lot of writing advice is designed with the lowest common denominator in mind. Like, "CAUTION: Coffee will be very hot." If you have a decent command of the language, and a unique and confident voice, you can break most rules and make it work.
But that's not true for a hell of a lot of writers out there, who could definitely benefit from a few less adverbs (and adjectives, and instances of passive construction, and tense shifts ...).
Kat - Feb 28, 2012 4:21:36 pm PST #18021 of 28267
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
But that's not true for a hell of a lot of writers out there, who could definitely benefit from a few less adverbs (and adjectives, and instances of passive construction, and tense shifts ...).
t cough J.K. Rowling
Amy - Feb 28, 2012 4:25:15 pm PST #18022 of 28267
Because books.
She does love her adverbs and adjectives, I know. I found it to be part of her style, though, because she was fairly consistent with, um, overuse, so the rhythm of the narrative was pretty steady.
That might make sense only in my head, though.
It does give her books (or the Harry Potter series anyway) a certain flavor and color, too.