 Fantasy: August 10, 2005 Issue [#551] |
  Fantasy
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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In an attempt to strengthen our writing, it is good to learn as many tricks of the trade as possible. Writing Workshops and instructive books on writing are great places to build solid writing habits that we can all use. It’s never too late to teach an old writer new tricks...
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I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful writers here at Writing.com. Usually, when I read something I like I go directly to the authors port and read their bio or their thoughts on writing. This was the case when I read Brandon Johnson, someone, who in my opinion is quickly gathering a following of loyal readers. What I found most interesting about Brandon was this article he penned about adverbs. It is simply entitled, ‘Nasty Little Adverbs’ and can be found in its entirity at,
Nasty Little Adverbs
One of the quickest ways to brighten up your story is to go hunting for adverbs. It’s easy, it’s pretty straightforward, and though it may sting a little, removing these nasty little boogers will do for your story what a shower and shave could do for a homeless guy.
Adverbs are convenient, they end in “-ly” and, (to me anyway), are for wimps. Adverbs can especially stink up your prose if they’re used in dialogue attribution.
“I’m leaving you Rhonda, and I’m not coming back.” Jim said, as he grabbed his coat from the closet.
This sentence will always sound better than:
“I’m leaving you Rhonda, and I’m not coming back.” Jim said seethingly as he reached for his coat.
(Microsoft Word doesn’t even recognize ‘seethingly’ as a word, yet I’m certain that I’ve seen it used in similar circumstances!) It irks the me to read dialogue like this because we already have a pretty good idea what Jim’s character is feeling.
Another example:
Jim rounded on Rhonda and pulled out his knife. “I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done to the dishwasher.”
Well, we don’t really need any help in imagining the tone of Jim’s voice, do we? We can maybe even imagine the look on the guy’s face. We don’t need it to read:
Jim rounded on Rhonda and pulled out his knife. “I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done to the dishwasher.” He said menacingly.
We already get the picture! The adverb ‘menacingly’ is redundant.
I suppose that’s my biggest gripe about adverbs: They’re redundant.
They state the obvious--what’s already been explained.
Redundantly.
And I also suppose that there are circumstances which would warrant the use of an adverb (even in dialogue attribution), but I believe that they should be used sparingly… only when they are needed to clarify an action to the reader.
I believe that all extraneous words (and adverbs are the quickest to crop up), should be weeded out… that the finished product should be sleek, smooth, and have a subconscious rhythm to it. I find redundancy in my work all the time, and spend most of my editing ink crossing through statements or words that are just simply not needed.
I highly recommend Stephen King’s book, ON WRITING. It is companion to my dictionary and thesaurus, and sits next to my monitor within arm’s reach. Here’s what Mr. King, master of the macabre has to say about adverbs:
“Adverbs… seem to have been created with the timid writer in mind. With the passive voice, the writer usually expresses fear of not being taken seriously; it is the voice of little boys wearing shoepolish mustaches and little girls clumping around in Mommy’s high heels. With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn’t expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or the picture across.”
J.K. Rowling gets away with it, though. Big time. (And who am I to criticize the richest lady in Great Britain, right?) Every time I read a new Harry Potter story, I see all those redundant little adverbs redundantly at work, redundantly re-stating the obvious… and I laugh because Stephen King, (who I once saw on a list of the richest entertainer’s in America) is so fanatically against them. I know that he’s right, though, because… well, it just makes sense to me. I’ve read all of the Harry Potter stories – can’t put them down, in fact – but when I come across another adverb, I still say to myself, “You could have edited that one out, Miss Rowling!” and continue to read FEVERISHLY.
There’s something to be said for this phenomenon that I call, “When Bad Writer’s Happen to Good Readers”.
© Copyright 2005 Brandon Johnson
Until next month,
billwilcox
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Erik Stark remarks:
Great opening (in the About section)!
I grew up much the same as you; science fiction, fantasy, and sorcery books, movies, and TV shows. All the good stuff! As I grew into an adult, I discovered it is all about the people. This got me to broaden my entertainment tastes since all stories are about the people (or should be).
SciFi, swords, fantasy, and such still hold a special place in my heart, but good characters (people) have made it so much easier for me to enjoy other types of stories. I'm certainly glad they have! Thanks for a great newsletter.
Erik! Thank you, my friend. Good writing, good stories, have, and always will be, about good characters.
si-cotik says:
Even God has an imagination. Nothing we know today, including latest fashions, dvd players, cars, etc. could have been made without imagination. In otherwords, there is nothing wrong with imagination. And getting carried away with it is just good juice for an interesting story. Great newsletter.
I agree wholeheartedly .
heenabeene asks:
Oooh, I've never done this before. But, I was wondering if you could provide us with any examples of magical realism. Is it just acceptance of what we find magical to be commonplace to the characters? Is it a blending of our "real life" and magic. Or is it just superb world-building that explains and convinces seamlessly? Or perhaps I have misunderstood this newsletter entirely.
Heena, I think you’ve pretty much got it, but here are some authors of magical realism you can investigate.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Marquez incorporates many supernatural motifs like levitation and flying carpets. Marquez also creates, in the tradition of the grotesque carnival and supernatural realism, the character of Melquiades, who is an overweight gypsy with supernatural powers. His novel contains powerful images of paradoxical bodily disgust and celebration, ambivalent celebration and laughter, and the reconstruction of human shapes, all of which exemplify characteristics of magical realism. In this novel and others, Marquez utilizes ironic distance.
Ben Okri: Okriís The Famished Road also incorporates several characteristics of magical realism. Specifically, examples of hybridity occur often. For instance, after the character Azaro wrongly believes a figure by the river to be the ferryman of the dead, he learns that she is in fact a hybrid woman, young in body but ëwith an old womanís faceí. The illustration is also a hybrid of ancient ritual and custom. Also, The Famished Road depicts the theme of political struggle and political corruption. The character Madame Koto is implied in the corruption of modern Nigerian politics. She encapsulates the new power herself, rather than its transgression, foreshadowing the countryís civil war to come. Okri uses ironic distance in this novel as well. I hope this helps.
Karen Rump professes:
Dear W.D.,
Has anyone randomly professed their love for you? Because I will. Your article on magical realism struck a deep chord in me, because so often we're blinded with writing fantasy that we forget the best ones are often ones that have a real element to them. Thank you.
Karen  , you are adoringly welcome .
Puditat comments:
What an absorbing editorial, Bill. I had never heard the term "magical realism". Thank you for the education and the expanding of my horizon.
Aw, thanks Pudi. You are more than welcome.
InkyShadows says:
Bill, I loved your discourse on magical realism. It certainly is a wonderful thing, and when a reader gets caught up in its wonder, it can be a real let down to have to face our own ordinary reality again, but hey, there is always that one chance in a million that some of the magic might really exist in our own realm...isn't there?????
Thank you, Inkster. I know for a fact that there is still magic in the world, but it has been hidden and renamed to protect its sanctity. For the person that knows where to look, magic realism abounds.
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