Tuesday's Tidbits: Adjectives and Adverbs

I'd like to introduce you to two of my biggest nemeses as a writer: adjectives and adverbs. On the surface they appear to be great friends. They describe actions and people, places and feelings just how you imagined them. What could be better, right?


Well, when it comes to writing, adjectives and adverbs often crowd the space in a sentence and in your readers' minds. They're often empty calories and extra weight.

Confession time. I'm guilty of gorging on bulimic-size numbers of -ly words and noun descriptors for that matter. Why, then, do I do this when I know it doesn't make for good writing? I can put all kinds of spin on it, but the bare-bones is, I'm lazy. Description words are too easy to pull from my repertoire, especially the ones so old and tired, they're begging to start claiming Social Security.


Here's a recommendation, and it comes from a wonderful resource book, called The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman. Lukeman suggests removing all adverbs and adjectives from your first draft. No need for a Q-tip. I did say all of them. After putting your MS on a diet free of delectable descriptors, re-read your text. Chances are you'll find you have a sleeker, smoother version of your manuscript, but one that still retains its shape, when it comes to content. After, you can inject some of the descriptory adjectives/adverbs back into your writing, but partake sparingly (kind of like ice cream :D).


Another take on this task is to remove the adverbs and adjectives from your work and find synonyms that are less well-used or cliche to replace them. See how they fit. Sometimes, you'll only retain one or two of these new alternatives in the next draft. Still, this exercise serves an important purpose. It hones your writer's eye to more inventive ways of describing things. With these exercises, Lukeman offers us ways to improve our works in progress. I've done variations on both of these tasks, and they make a big difference in how my page reads.


The argument that finally convinced this descriptor addict to put her MS on a weight-loss plan occurred to me while reading one night.


Overusing adjectives and adverbs doesn't give your reader enough credit. Readers don't want everything spelled out, like the ingredients in a cookbook. This may seem a strange analogy, but it reminds me of the first time I saw "Twilight" on the big screen. I was a fan of the book series, but for some reason the films disappointed me. When I tried to identify why, I realized that no matter how I gift-wrapped it, Kristen Stewart was never going to be the Bella Swan I pictured in my head. The silver screen version of the character and the Bella in my head didn't jibe. (No offense to Kristen!)


Allow readers to imagine their own sunset. The colors and feelings evoked in their imaginations, may be entirely different than yours. Trust your readers to 'get it', without hauling out the bib and high chair. Having everything in black and white makes for a boring read.


Readers trust you as a writer to guide them on a fantastic journey from 'Once upon a time' to 'The End'. Don't disappoint by being too wordy about it. Let their own imaginations be the vehicle that transports them where they want to go.

However great a man's natural talent may be, the act of writing cannot be learned all at once.
---Jean Jacques Rousseau