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acwhitehouse
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A few different American style guides or lists of rules have been quoted in the various threads: guides by Stephen King, by Elmore Leonard, by Strunk & White, etc, etc. All seem to concur in their hatred of the adverb and, to a lesser extent, the adjective. My argument is that the bare, stripped-back prose style they aim to teach is not 'Style', it is ' a style' - there are others. Stripped-back-to-the-bare-essentials prose doesn't work in all genres, or for all audiences; it is simply fashionable at the moment. What do you think?
This post was last edited by acwhitehouse, 27 Nov 2007, 19:26
WorkingOnABook
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Timber Beast
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I will first start with an adverb in my "draft zero." Then I will search for a stronger verb to take its place. "Knocked loudly" becomes "rapped." The result is shorter. If I can't find a stronger verb, I will see if it reads with the same meaning without the adverb. Over the course of a novel such pruning pays off in tighter prose.
This post was last edited by Timber Beast, 27 Nov 2007, 19:34
Best, Norm Forestry combines art and science, grapples with the ecological riddles of our time, but it's also a job. That's what I write about.
Timberati To everything blog, blog, blog
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Dangermouse
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Strunk & White have been around for a wee while. Must be a long lasting fashion. I used to think the same, that stripped down prose removes the character's voice and personality. After a few months spent in a vigorous critiquing group, I've changed my mind. Stripping down prose is a good exercise - even if you don't plan to write that way - because it teaches control. Control and subtlety in fiction are rare. As a case in point, I'm reading a fantastic book at the moment written by a ex-journalist, who admits she's used to writing highly-controlled 5,000 word artciles. The result? I can see how every word is selected. It's not just the first thing that pops into her head.
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AllieO
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Well, I think that Sol Stein (Solutions for Writers) puts it very well. He's not against adverbs where they are essential. That example above of 'rapped' for 'knocked loudly' is a good one, I think. But you have to judge whether leaving out the adverb means saying exactly what you want to say. Sometimes 'said' is just not enough on its own. He is particularly hard on two adverbs together, and suggests finding the one it is better to keep.
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leighvtwersky
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leighvtwersky
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KRobb
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Thanks Leigh for telling me that what I do when I hear it in my head is 'subvocalising' (that is what you meant isn't it? I always thought I was a bit mad to do it and never thought I made it clear when I've tried to talk about it in my reviews).
Anyway, I do read like that and rhythmically pleasing definitely has it's merits, while rhythmically displeasing grates on my nerves. However, a plain, sparse style can be very tense...
So, I guess you cut your cloth to suit your clothes, to destroy a saying. There are no fixed rules, just choose your style to suit the emotion you're hoping the reader will experience.
K
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NickP
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Hmmm If I were you, I'd listen to the advice given. If you think your copious adverbs and adjectives decorate your prose, it might just be that you are writing for yourself not others. Course, you could know better than King, Strunk etc etc. Why wouldn't you? You might even be a YWO bestseller. Mind you they are bestsellers too. In the more accepted sense of having SOLD a lot of books. Have you?
"...the likes of NickP can rant on if they like"
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leighvtwersky
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copious? no one's said anything about copious yet. i just think that each case needs to be judged on its own merit rather than just following a blanket ban on adverbs.
as i said earlier sometimes it works better to cut the adverb. other times, perhaps for example, a stronger but less common verb, might not get the effect you want in that particular case.
truly, madly, deeply. hmmm.
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acwhitehouse
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Quote: Dangermouse, Tuesday, 27 Nov 2007 19:54Strunk & White have been around for a wee while. Must be a long lasting fashion. I think the first Strunk and White came out in 1959; longer ago than I thought, but not a very long time in literary terms. It's a great book - I have a much-thumbed copy myself. I just don't believe that it's the be-all and end-all of good writing. P.S. Call me a snob if you like, but I CANNOT take literary advice from Stephen King! No matter how many millions of books he's sold. I grew out of his writing aged about 14. I picked one up just now to check. Such a 'knowing' tone - I don't know how else to describe it - it really grates.
This post was last edited by acwhitehouse, 28 Nov 2007, 13:55
WorkingOnABook
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