It’s the monthly blog hop/ known as the Insecure Writers Support Group founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You’re invited to join if you're a writer, insecure, or just supportive of writers. It happens the first Wednesday of each month, and it would be sweet of you to visit at least a dozen or so new blogs and leave a comment. Your words are appreciated. Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
The awesome co-hosts for the August 4 posting of the IWSG are PK Hrezo, Cathrina Constantine, PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, and Sandra Cox!
August 4 question - What is your favorite writing craft book? Think of a book that every time you read it you learn something or you are inspired to write or try the new technique. And why?
I’ve read my fair share of books on writing:
Stephen King - On Writing
Strunk and White - The Elements of Style
Dean Koontz - How to Write Best Selling Fiction
Anne Lamott - Bird by Bird
And more.
I’ve learned a lot from them...
And my biggest takeaway is:
I’m glad I’m not an adverb.
Everyone hates adverbs...
Editors hate them...
Agents hate them...
Even famous writers hate them:
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.” Stephen King
"Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs."Strunk and White
“I am dead to adverbs; they cannot excite me.” Mark Twain.
If adverbs had feelings...
They’d be on antidepressants...
Or suicide watch.
So why were adverbs created anyway?
Especially the “ly” words?
Do readers, notice…or care?
Here’s a factoid:
Hemingway used 80 words ending in “ly” per 10,000 words of prose; JK Rowling uses 140 adverbs per 10,000 words, and EL James uses 155.
I’m guessing readers weren’t counting the “ly” adverbs
While they devoured the stories.
And I don’t think Rowling & James counted the “ly” words
As they skippity do-dahed their way to the bank.
This is my take on adverbs...
If I am writing using the omniscient voice...
I watch my adverbs...
But if I am writing in a character’s voice...
I write the way the character speaks...
And if that includes adverbs, so be it.
So?
Thoughts on adverbs?
Always,
Em-Musing
P.S. Big lizard in my bedroom, scorpion on the floor, electric goes off at 2, sweat like a hog till power's back, Blogger not behaving, Internet acting wonky...Yup, that's why my post is so late. Did I say I love living in the jungle?
