 For Authors: September 28, 2016 Issue [#7888] |
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This week: Adverbs Edited by: Jeff  
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"The two most engaging powers of an author are to make
new things familiar, and to make familiar things new."
-- Samuel Johnson
Trivia of the Week: For those of you looking for a reading challenge or go through books extremely quickly, consider delving into one of these long-running fantasy series... any one of which will keep you busy for a good long time:
The Dark Tower by Stephen King (8 books, approx. 4,600 pages)
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (5 books, approx. 5,000 pages)
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (15 books, approx. 6,200 pages)
Redwall by Brian Jacques (22 novels, approx. 8,645 pages)
The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore (29 novels, approx. 11,000 pages)
The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind (15 books, approx. 11,000 pages)
Shannara by Terry Brooks (29 books, approx. 11,600 pages)
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (15 books, approx. 12,000 pages)
WINNER: Discworld by Terry Pratchett (45 books, approx. 15,497 pages)  |
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ADVERBS
This week, I'd like to address the topic of adverbs. Yes, those pesky things that Stephen King has been quoted as saying the road to Hell is paved with, and literary greats like Hemingway and Elmore Leonard (and Stephen King) are generally opposed to. The issue I'd like to discuss, though, is the difference between use and overuse.
First, we need to make sure we're all on the same page about what an adverb actually is and what it does.
Merriam-Webster's definition of an adverb is: "A word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree." Technically, their full definition actually gets a little more specific: "A word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages, typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial, and in English also serving to connect and to express comment on clause content — compare."
That sounds like a pretty important job! After all, nouns are responsible for identifying people, places, objects, etc. ... verbs are responsible for conveying action or a state of being ... adjectives add description to nouns ... it seems like a part of speech that adds description to verbs would be pretty useful. After all, actions have different degrees. Someone may run as part of a casual exercise routine, run a race, or run for their life. And an author might want to clarify that the morning workout is a leisurely run versus a competitive race which is run intently versus someone frantically running for their life.
A lot of adverb complaints, especially about the -ly words (and we'll give the non -ly adverbs a pass since people tend to have fewer issues with those), come from the fact that there's often a more efficient way to express the same sentiment. The English language has roughly one million words to choose from, so rather than saying someone runs leisurely, one can instead use jogs (literally defined as "to run or ride at a slow trot; to go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace). Rather than saying someone runs intently, one can instead use sprint ("to run or go at top speed especially for a short distance"). And rather than saying someone runs frantically, one can instead use flee ("to run away from danger / from (a place)"). So it's easy to understand, when there's a more precise word that embodies a writer's exact intent, why some might take issue with the use of a verb-plus-adverb combo.
However, there are a significant number of readers who have taken an absolute position on adverbs and assert that it's flat-out wrong to use them, regardless of circumstance. I've seen review after review here on WdC, as well as in other feedback circles, where the reviewers says something along the lines of, "I noticed you made a mistake by using an "-ly" word in that sentence. Make sure you fix that problem area of your work!" 
The simple truth is that kind of mandate is as misguided as telling people what words they should be using, how to structure their sentences, what names to use for their characters, how much description is appropriate to include, or how long their work should be. All of the things in the preceding list (adverbs included) are fair game if they affect the readability of a piece, and readers are certainly within bounds to comment on their personal opinions on such matters. But it's misguided and, quite frankly, more than a little icky to apply personal preferences to a review as if the writer is making a mistake by not doing what you would have done had you been the one authoring the piece. Allowances must be made for personal choices, as well as the situation. Sometimes, the use of adverbs is just plain preferable. For example, the word amble is, by many metrics, somewhere between a 5th and 6th grade level vocabulary word, so if you're writing a story intended to be read by very early readers, walks slowly might make more sense given the context of the situation. Similarly, since diction and syntax greatly impact the reading experience, there are occasions where the choice of a specific two-word combination might improve the pace or readability of a moment during a key scene.
Like so many other things, adverb use (or overuse) is largely a matter of degree and circumstance. Using adverbs is not wrong. Using -ly words is not an error that needs to be pointed out and addressed, in black and white objectivity, like a typo or a misspelling. It's absolutely fair to suggest that there are more efficient, maybe even more elegant ways of conveying a sentiment using more specific vocabulary... but it is not fair to make a writer feel like they're doing something wrong by using adverbs, and it's not fair to treat the use of adverbs as a technical error on par with actual, objective mistakes like using the wrong form of a word or flat-out misusing a word.
Here are some quotes about the use of adverbs by a few different sources of grammar advice:
"...you are allowed to use adverbs, but use them wisely and only occasionally."
- Grammar Girl, QuickAndDirtyTips.Com
"A writer determined to eliminate adverbs will be a seriously handicapped writer, for adverbs can make more specific, add information to, not only verbs, but also adjectives and other adverbs. Adverbs, like the other content parts of speech, are an essential for every writer’s toolkit; they can do things that the other parts of speech cannot."
- Barbara Baig, guest blogger for Writers Digest
"Ernest Hemingway is often held up as an example of a great writer who detested adverbs and advised other writers to avoid them. In reality, it’s impossible to avoid adverbs altogether. Sometimes we need them, and all writers (even Hemingway) use them occasionally. The trick is to avoid unnecessary adverbs. When your verb or adjective doesn’t seem powerful or precise enough, instead of reaching for an adverb to add more color, try reaching for a stronger verb or adjective instead. Most of the time, you’ll come up with a better word and your writing will be stronger for it.
- Grammarly Handbook, Grammarly.com
In closing, I'd like to encourage writers to spend some time considering their adverb use and, in those instances where the instinct is to use a verb-plus-adverb combo, really consider whether there's a better way to convey the sentiment you're trying to get across. There probably is. And I'd also like to humbly request that those who critique the work of writers carefully consider how you're presenting those comments. Are you emphasizing that it's your opinion, and merely suggesting an alternative for them to consider? Or are you "correcting a mistake" as if you were pointing out a clear, objective error? Because using adverbs isn't that.
Remember that writing is a subjective endeavor. While we should always aspire to find the best words and best version of our material, we should also allow for some recognition of the fact that different artists express themselves in different ways. And there's a distinct difference between telling someone that, in your opinion there's a better way of writing something, and telling them they've made a technical error in their work. 
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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I encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: The reason reviewers pay attention to adverbs isn't because adverbs are bad (since they aren't bad). The concern is not really about using adverbs or over-using them. It's the question of how strong can you make your writing -- in either prose or poetry. In other words: Can you do better than that?
EXCERPT: "Adverbs can lead to lazy writing." "Adjectives help with description." As writers, we've all heard these common phrases before, but how far does your knowledge of adjectives and adverbs really go? How do you utilize them to enhance your writing, not hinder it? Here, we will see what adjectives and adverbs are, how to distinguish them in a sentence, and how to use them properly.
EXCERPT: The overuse of adverbs is a very common problem among writers. It can sneak up on you like a shadow and seduce you like a succubus (or incubus). In fact, I've heard tell that "adverb dependence" might just be voted in as the eighth deadly sin! Or maybe I'm just making that up... Either way, I'm here not only to explain why adverb overuse is a bad habit, but how you might break it.
EXCERPT: If I ever disagreed with any of the NO adverb idea, I have chunked it. I believe that from now on I will use the find -ly and rewrite automatically. The adjective article I have to agree with also, but I am not as convinced that adjectives are as evil as adverbs.
EXCERPT: Down with adverbs. I need a picket line. *adopts nasal voice/pushes glasses up* "adverbs are the cockroaches of literature"
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