July blog prompts have arrived. If you are wondering how these happen, Mod R combs your comments and questions you send in and then compiles them for each month.
You have very unique comparisons and metaphors when you write descriptions. Are they just things you come up with naturally, or do you have helping tools or exercises? How prescriptive are you in regards to writing rules like “don’t use adverbs, don’t use adjectives”?
Gordon and I read widely. We also watch widely. For example, I’ve watched this K drama where the king of Joseon is trying to sneak out of the palace, and this is very difficult for him, since he has done it before and is now feverishly watched 24/7 by eunuchs and court maids. So he sends his eunuch to bring him a snow sculpture, which turns out to be a very anachronistic snowman. The eunuch delivers the snowman on a platter, patiently knocks, opens the door… and finds an empty room.
The king and his friend are walking away from the palace in plain clothes and they hear a primal scream.
“Jeon-ha!!!” Which roughly translates to “Your Majesty” or “Your Highness” and to English speakers sounds a lot like cho-nah. Clearly our poor eunuch has had it.
The king chuckles, and his friend looks at him and says, “Why are you like this?”
This is going into a book somewhere. It was such a human moment. It won’t be that scene, but the emotional interplay will be the same. Someone does something, and someone close to them wonders what had gone wrong in their upbringing.
This is why the COVID pandemic has been so devastating. Writers are sponges, we absorb, digest, and make our own version of people and situations we encounter. When there is no stimulus, nothing is getting made. There are no writing rules or exercises to help you with this. You have to feed your brain with as much new fun entertainment and information you can and let it process.
As far as the writing rules, there is only one. If it feels right, do it. That’s it.
When people make blanket statements like “don’t use adverbs,” they either don’t know what they are talking about or they are in the process of eradicating their own overuse of adverbs. They have armed themselves with a hammer, and now they swinging it at everything that resembles a nail.
Let’s talk about adverbs a little, because they are often maligned.
When to use and not use adverbs
“They’re coming!” she screamed excitedly.
We know she is excited. “Screamed” accomplished that on its own. Typically if you feel the need to use an adverb in dialogue, you may want to try a stronger verb first.
She walked toward him forcefully.
She marched, she strode, she stomped, etc.
Try to avoid overuse of adverbs in dialogue tags, but do use them when needed.
“I will kill you.” He pronounced the words with crisp exactness, as if slicing them off with a knife.
“I will kill you,” he ground out.
“I will kill you.” He enunciated each word, as if he were talking to someone terminally stupid.
“I will kill you,” he whispered, his face flat.
“I will kill you,” he murmured, his face flat.
“I will kill you,” he promised quietly, his face flat.
Each meaning is slightly different. “Whispered” and “promised quietly” are not synonymous. Whispered may imply speaking to themselves. It’s not necessarily for other people to hear. It can also imply weakness – the speaker is too injured or too choked up with emotion to speak. Promised quietly implies determination. The speaker isn’t just angry, he is resolute. It’s almost a vow.
As a writer, you have to decide which one you want. And great many writers will sit there and stare at these examples for twenty minutes trying to choose the right one, and then go with “I will kill you,” he swore because selecting the right one is too hard and requires too much brain power.
Adverbs have their primary use in the narrative, when the right verb is not enough and you need emphasis.
“He sliced the man’s fingers off, one by one, until the hand was a bloody stump.”
vs
“Slowly, methodically, he sliced the man’s fingers off, one by one, until the hand was a bloody stump.”
The second gives us a lot of information as to the type of person our knife wielder is. This is a cold, callous sonovabitch, and he probably has done something like this before. We infer this, even though it’s not stated, from those two adverbs.
Adverbs are subtle tools and they need to be used with precision. Words exist for a reason. You have great many to choose from so try to use them wisely. 🙂
Great blog! I have never agreed with the no-adverb thing either. I’m not depopulating my verbal armory for someone else’s priggishness.
You are so right! Adverbs have been taking a beating for at least the last 20 years or so. Folks use adjectives in place of adverbs or drop the -ly ending off of adverbs all the time. I have heard professional writers argue for the use of adjectives in place of adverbs because “they sound the same.”
“Eyes wide, she slowly, step-by-quiet-step, backed away from the authors’ murder-promising, finger-lopping villains.” Your adverbs are creeping me out!
Great post! My sort of unrelated question is which K drama you watched… 😡
Hey Em,
Why so angry hehe? I think it was probably Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) 😀
LOL! The comment about the king in your K-drama reminded me of an instance that occurred in a historical group I belong to. At the time, I was a “Baroness” and my poor lady-in-waiting (Lady A) was always chasing after me because I would suddenly remember something I needed to do (or, let’s be honest, when something shiny caught my eye ;). She would turn to me to ask me something and I was just..gone (or, several shops down where I saw someone I needed to speak with.) The one time – the ONE time – she left me in someone else’s care, we were at a large camping event in August. It was very hot that day and I had been convinced to take a nap in my tent while my friend took some much-needed time for herself. I agreed with my other friend (Lady B) that I would, in fact, be in my tent napping. I had every intention of napping, I really did. However… I suddenly remembered something I needed to do. I went out the back door of the tent since it was facing the path I needed to take (no, really!) When my lady-in-waiting returned, she asked Lady B how I was. Lady B cheerfully replied, “Oh, she’s been good! She’s in her tent.” To which Lady A responded, practically bursting a blood vessel mind you, “You fell for that?!! How could you fall for that?!” Much side-eye was passed to Lady B when they entered my tent, only to find my partially-eaten lunch but no me. I still hear about it to this day.
Just saying, anyone who is slicing people’s fingers off one by one is a “cold, callous sonovabitch” by default xD
I really enjoy the pictures you use for your blogs.
I especially like the writer guy above (my favorite is the cranky writer guy).
So much information can be conveyed in a single picture.
Thanks for the illustrations!
Wow, words mean things, my husband was right.
This post should be used it writing classes. Yes, yes, and yes! Thank you!
Thank you, thank you! I’m not a writer and haven’t been able to figure out why some authors’ (you guys!) books are so much more engaging, better written and have much more complete character development than others. This helps tremendously! You’re the best!
I especially enjoy your insights into writing. I vividly remember your blog post few years back on the difference between writing in the first and third person, and how it changes everything–the pace, narration, and mood.
I also understand that writing dialogues is not necessarily about replicating how people speak, but about communicating the fact of something being spoken, which is as important as the content of what is being said.
As a reader I feel like these tiny details and decisions can make or break a book–if not done carefully, can interrupt the flow and emotional charge. And I have never once felt a word out of place when I read your books. Every choice feels like it was meant to be; I believe the words felt and spoken by the characters, and each book feels just and righteous.
Fascinating.
I have a question unrelated to this post, but I didn’t want to email since it’s not a technical issue. I’m curious if the Olympics still happen in the HL world? There’s a picture making the rounds on my Twitter of a sharp shooter standing relaxed and casual while aiming, and it reminded me of Leon. Thanks!
Please absolutely ask in the comments ????, all of them get read and added to The List! ✍️
Great, thank you! I thought of Leon as a sharp shooter, and wondered if the Olympics still happen in the HL world, and if so, whether people with magic participate or if it is only for non-magic people? I’ll keep an eye out for the blog-comments response next month! Have a great day 🙂
Or maybe there would be multiple types of Olympics (magic vs. non-magic), since a hydrokinetic swimmer vs. non-magic swimmer would not be an entertaining race.
If everyone hadn’t been surprised about the Sagredo House Spell, I’d suggest a null field around the non-magic Olympics to ensure the field is leveled, at least in the magic/non-magic aspect.
Yes exactly! Is it now like the olympics and paralympics? Or in the second example, what an interesting experience someone might have if they go to compete and discovered that they actually had some magic ability that they lost after entering the null field.
Man, I love how much you love your work. 🙂
Ooooh! I love kdramas as well! Especially the historical ones. Do you mind sharing the name of the one you referenced above? And, if its not too much to ask, your favourite ones?
Hey Tas,
I think the series referenced is Moon Embracing the Sun (2012). Unless snowmen are a particular K drama trope hehe.
Ilona has mentioned C and K dramas a lot of times, some of her favourites can be found here:
https://ilona-andrews.com/2020/burn-out/ (a big recommendations thread with the BDH pitching in)
also here https://ilona-andrews.com/2019/things-i-learned-from-chinese-dramas/
and here https://ilona-andrews.com/2019/moonlight-drawn-by-clouds/
Hope this helps 🙂
Very absorbing read, tku!
Regards
Rags