Queshire
Istar
Eh, there's at least one benefit to the rule. If you're making an effort to avoid adverbs then you're paying attention to word choice.
I couldn't help thinking something similar yesterday. I was reading Mistborn and saw unnecessary adverbs in dialogue tags right and left...yet it's a best seller. That's not to say I think the market should determine craft standards, but there is an interesting tension there.Readers don't care. If your writing is good then readers will just keep reading and buying. For proof, look no further then the best selling book series of all time, Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling uses adverbs all over the place, including in dialogue tags and she holds several records in terms of sales.
See, I think the first version is far better because it gets to the heart of the matter a lot faster and feels much more as if I'm in the character's head. This is why I love writing.
For example, "She breathed deeply" seems clear
I couldn't help thinking something similar yesterday. I was reading Mistborn and saw unnecessary adverbs in dialogue tags right and left...yet it's a best seller. That's not to say I think the market should determine craft standards, but there is an interesting tension there.
Readers don't care. If your writing is good then readers will just keep reading and buying. For proof, look no further then the best selling book series of all time, Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling uses adverbs all over the place, including in dialogue tags and she holds several records in terms of sales.
The thing to keep in mind that it all comes down to execution. If you use them simply because you're lazy and there would be better words to use then use those. If your style is one where moseyed or meandered sounds great then use those, otherwise there is nothing wrong with walked slowly. As Ankari showed, changing the words changes the meaning, and if the adverb conveys the exact meaning you need then use that.
I'll say it here, I do like reading Adverbs. Not too many, but if they're used well then they're great. It's probably because I'm a bit slow and need to be hit over the head with what the characters are actually feeling or how they're reacting. You see, in the example I can really use "angrily" to help me understand that she's angry. Yes, the ! helps as well, but as I said, sometimes I need to be hit over the head with it...I agree that --> "That's barbaric!" Hermione said, angrily = an abomination, simply not what I want to read. I've never read a HP book and suspect I never will, and JKR couldn't care less as she builds a castle out of money.
Jakk looked across the boxing ring. His young opponent was barely a man
To ME, these are all pretty much the same -
Prince!
The shopkeeper sighed lazily.
When I read that, or any similar use of an impossible adverb, I stop dead in my tracks. HOW in the world does one sigh lazily?
Thank you, Ankari. To play devil's advocate, what about a case in which the surrounding narrative has made it clear that the character has been guided into a room to meditate. The sights and sounds and scents are all provided in the initial description. Pivoting to the character, who, we will say, is very pleased to be in such a serene space, the texts reads: "He found a comfortable space and, sitting with eyes closed, breathed deeply." I don't meditate, but I'm fairly sure deep breathing is a big part of it. With the detail provided in the surrounding narrative, it doesn't seem necessary to add more 'what' - yet the word 'deeply' is still doing work here while avoiding prolixity: he's not just breathing; he's breathing in the manner associated with meditation.As for why adverbs are disliked. When you consider the phrase "She breathed deeply," you, as the reader are left wondering of what did she breathe deeply? The thought is incomplete. Now consider "She breathed deeply the scent of fresh baked bread," or "she breathed deeply to undo the tension in her chest." those tell you the "what."
Readers don't care. If your writing is good then readers will just keep reading and buying. For proof, look no further then the best selling book series of all time, Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling uses adverbs all over the place, including in dialogue tags and she holds several records in terms of sales.
Thank you, FifthView. How would you respond to the reply that although what you say certainly applies to many adverbs, it doesn't apply to all of them. For example, in the description "He paced ceaselessly," there doesn't seem to be a narrator's value judgement - the narrator isn't saying whether this is good/bad/right/wrong/worthy of praise or condemnation - rather, it seems to be an objective description of the manner of the pacing. How did he pace? Not intermittently, not haltingly, but ceaselessly. I'm sure there's a better example out there, but the idea is that some adverbs seem to add purely factual/objective detail.The real problem isn't that they are inherently lazy (heh) but that they always, always carry with them this factor of value judgments being made by the narrator.
Thank you, FifthView. How would you respond to the reply that although what you say certainly applies to many adverbs, it doesn't apply to all of them. For example, in the description "He paced ceaselessly," there doesn't seem to be a narrator's value judgement - the narrator isn't saying whether this is good/bad/right/wrong/worthy of praise or condemnation - rather, it seems to be an objective description of the manner of the pacing.