Adverb Charades

Okay…it’s a book…three words…first word...sounds like...

Don’t you love charades? I kick butt at it. I guess it helps to have a husband who can read my mind. Wow, I’m off subject already—not a good start.

I was telling my critique partner Amy just the other day that when I come across a sneaky adverb—I like to play adverb charades. I don’t know if I explained it good enough to her—so I will try again.

How to play:

1. When editing or writing and you come across an adverb you know you need to cut, you play—adverb charades.
2. What actions can you put into your WIP to replace the adverb?
3. Think about how you would act out the adverb in charades.
4. Voila—writing magic.

Example:

• Before adverb charades: “I’m not going,” Annie said stubbornly.
• After adverb charades: Annie plopped all 40 pounds of her uncooperative self at my feet—shooting me a challenge with her eyes. “I’m not going,” she said.

I use this game all the time to fix my pesky adverbs. I like to think of adverbs kind of like place holders. When I'm in my first few drafts and I just want to write organically, I leave them in. But I always try and replace them with something that shows more.

Did any of that even make sense? It's been a long day :)

-Angie

Adverbs are the Devil?

I'm quickly learning that adverbs are the bane of writers. I've heard no-so-quiet rumblings that adverbs are to be avoided at almost all costs. I didn't believe it. How can, roboticly, cautiously, tenderly, violently, be sooo bad? I love them.

But I've learned at conferences, books, and in my online wanderings that adverbs can be a sign of weak, immature, lazy writing. Suddenly I have to look at my work differently?

Okay I get the idea that a strong verb is better than a week verb + an adverb. Example:

The crowd cheered loudly...

The crowd exploded...

I get that. I do. But where I get confused is:

If you want keep your writing concise aren't adverbs useful? Isn't it tighter to say, "She slipped silently into the hungry darkness." As opposed to, "With faint footfall, alerting no one, she slipped into the hungry darkness." Maybe the second is better? I don't know.

Side note: I'm currently reading a book littered with adverbs...and I really like it...the book and the adverbs :)