Quick writing power up: ditch the adverbs

Adverbs are the DMV of writing. 

They create unnecessary delays, complications, and steal the joy from your reader’s journey. 

Adverbs typically end in -ly and and are used to prop up boring, non-descriptive, and generic verbs:

“Stop it!” he shouted angrily. 

Vs.

Tyson fumed. “Stop it!” he barked. 

Adverbs break a cardinal rule of writing

Writers are always told: “Show, don’t tell.” Vibrant writing appeals to a reader’s senses, rather than detailing actions through exposition. 

Conveying emotion through powerful and active verbs beats explaining how something happened every time. 

Go ahead and use adverbs as you draft. But as you edit, delete them ruthlessly. Dig deeper for more descriptive verbs that richly convey emotion and action.