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Showing posts with label hates adverbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hates adverbs. Show all posts

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Does Stephen King Hate Adverbs?

Stephen King said, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs."
I understand this, but don't necessarily agree. It's true that too many adverbs can make your writing seem amateurish and lacking in real content. However, I happen to like a well-placed adverb. If a character walks, I'd like to know how he walks. Does he walk softly? Does he walk crookedly? Does he walk briskly or slowly? I suppose a writer could find a different word than "walk". Skips, strides, glides, sneaks, tiptoes, etc. But sometimes a plain and simple verb works best, with a nice ripe adverb to make it tasty.
If you were to peruse Stephen King's books, I'm sure you will find adverbs. And I think I know what he meant in this quote. He is a talented and prolific writer and could not possibly be suggesting that we never use adverbs. I think he is suggesting we use them like a spice, sparingly and for flavor without overwhelming the literary palate.
Apparently Mark Twain shared this distaste for adverbs as well.