Adverbs: Know When to Cut Them and Know When to Keep Them
Write leaner, cleaner prose without getting rid of all your adverbs
By now, I’m sure you’ve read the following passage by Stephen King:
“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day . . . fifty the day after that . . . and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally,completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s — GASP!! — too late.”
Now pull out your favorite novel. Are there adverbs? Of course there are.
Should you really cut them out of your writing?
No. Let’s not be hasty. Good writing never follows trendy writing advice and many writers have taken Stephen King’s opinion as the last word on the matter. Adverbs have their place. They provide additional information, show motivation, create mood, and help readers imagine scenes.
Is Stephen King wrong? I heard you gasp.
Yes and no. There are times to cut the flab in your writing, times to cull and times to…
