Some thoughts about adverb usage and the 'Show, Don't Tell' rule [writing, meta, public post]

[naatz]

This is something I've been thinking about for some time. It's not organised, exactly, more like a collection of random thoughts that will hopefully form a cohesive idea.

Show, Don't Tell
But Not ReallyWhen I started writing, I was a big fan of this rule. But the more I kept writing, and later editing, I became more and more ambivalent about it,

Comments

[myth720]

I think 'show don't tell' is more accurate for screenwriting. Stories and novels are a medium that enables the writer to explore the character's emotions and psyche. Of course it all depends on the style you are going for and the narrative, but there's a lot more room to play with the "rules" of writing.

[naatz]

Exactly. I'm more annoyed by how writing guides generalise the 'rules' instead of explaining the logic behind them and through that showing what the exceptions are. Grr.

|Meduza|

[rexluscus]

I think that rule has caused as much bad writing as it's prevented. It seems like it encourages people to write their characters doing a kind of pantomime, which is silly.

[naatz]

Snickering at the pantomime image. Seriously. I never really thought about it like that, but, YES. You're absolutely right!

|Meduza|

[ciroccoj]

YES, thank you. I really think Show Don't Tell is a fine rule to live by. It's also a great writing exercise to go through your work removing all adjectives/adverbs and see which ones can safely be dropped. But some people take it waaay too far, and either over-pantomime, slowing down the narrative, or end up with overly stark writing. Stark writing is fine, if the passage or the storytelling style calls for it, but it's not the only kind of writing out there. And if you're telling a story about a romance, or describing a party, or a warm summer's day...

"I love you," he said.

"So do I," she replied.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked.

"I would love to," she said.

And they danced in the meadow under the sun.How did he say I love you? How did she respond? What kind of meadow was it? Was the sun blazing or shining softly? Were they dancing a country dance, or a cha-cha

[naatz]

You're actually the writer that had stuck the last nail in this rule's coffin for me. Ever since I started doing beta-work for you I stopped feeling guilty whenever I put an adverb/adjective in a story. :D Until you? I knew it was wrong, but couldn't understand why.

|Meduza|

[ciroccoj]

LOL!! Really?

[naatz]

Yep. I was all excited with how clean your style was, and the moment I really dived in, I realised it was partly because of the adverbs/adjectives. I mean, I knew the Rule was problematic, but it wasn't until I met you {who I fangirled like mad, which I still do but in a less OMG WORSHIPPING way} that I realised I had to throw it to the trash. :)

|Meduza|

[teromain]

I've wrestled with this stupid rule so much that I ended up with my own general disregard for it - I've actually been meaning to write some sort of post about why adverbs are NOT SO TERRIBLE AFTER ALL IF USED RIGHT, because there's so much about "oh, every time I see an adverb I lose respect for the writer! There should only be one per every 1,000 words!" Pah. I mean, I still hate when people write things like "she smiled sexily" because that brings absolutely no clear image to my head - HOW IS SHE SEXY? - but I really don't mind if someone does something quickly, loudly, or abruptly.

I think it also really depends on what POV you're writing in. 1st person; people tend to think and talk with adverbs and adjectives, so in a 1st narrative it should be perfectly legitimate to have some in there; definitely a lot more than people think you should get away with. With something like 3rd limited, if you're only in one character's head at a time, every other character should probably be have more 'showing' descriptions of their actions

[naatz]

I don't think the POV matters at all. If anything, I'm more likely to buy convoluted 1st person narrative than 3rd person narrative. There's also nothing wrong with going for a couple of sentences out of 3rd limited -- I've seen places where this shift works.

What your teacher said makes perfect sense, and explains a bit about the British writing. British writing has a lot more to draw from than American writing, and that's possibly what influences them.

Adverbs and adjectives = ftw! \o/

|Meduza|

[cherri_suga]

I tend to sit in that awkward place between writing and poetry, so I expect my tactics are a bit different on this one. I never really worked by any rules as such, but I suppose I analyse writing styles without being consciously aware of doing so. I adopt their techniques purely as a form of flattery, and in turn, become a better writer. I was the same when I was actively composing music.

Oh! I DO know that I often read the piece of work out aloud to make sure the flow isn't interrupted? This could be why I don't write whole stories, despite being very interested in writing. It would take forever.

PS. I found this post sort of, well, fascinating.

[naatz]

Oh, I still write poetry. For years I've defined myself as a poet, and my appreciation to cadence and flow is still very much there, and I inflict it on my prose. Poetry {especially modern} thrives on adverbs and adjectives, because long descriptions really clunk it up.

{I used to be a style-thief too, but then my style stabilised and I moved further into proseland, and it's harder to steal techniques in prose. Woe!}

♥

|Meduza|