Hemingway and Adverbs
Posted by Mark Shaw on July 13, 2008
Okay, Hemingwaywantabes, is the adverb, or the adjective for that matter, your best friend? Is your manuscript filled with them, one every other sentence or so since you believe that your prose is not descriptive enough if you do not squeeze in one or the other on a frequent basis.
Stephen King, in his book, On Writing, suggests that adverbs are not your friends, but instead crutches to lean on when the words you are using are not strong enough. It’s the same with Hemingway. Take a gander at one of his best books and presto, you will see few, if any, adverbs and adjectives. His language speaks for itself. It is bold, and stands alone with no need for a “helper.”
If you want to test your writings, do this. Once you have a competent first draft, do “adverb/adjective surgery.” I did this with one of my books, Miscarriage of Justice, The Jonathan Pollard Story, and it really worked. And guess what, the patient, here the book, lived!
Absence of adverbs and adjectives are a sign you are a professional writer. Give them up, throw them out the window, and set yourself free!
A note: if any of you bloggers who read this blog live near Bridgman, Michigan, located in the far southwest part of Michigan on the lake, listen up. I will be presenting, free of charge, a “How to Become a Published Author: A to Z” seminar this coming Thursday, July 17th from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For information, call Janet at the library.
