: Re: Replacing adverbs I understand the reasons so many people have dislike for adverbs in writing, but I'm struggling with how to find a real balance. For example, these adverbs can die: "He ran

@Looi5811334

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I feel that maybe I should approach it like this: Kill off adverbs for
which a natural or more interesting replacement exists. Accept what
you can't change for the rest. Is that a good way to approach it, or am
I missing a better way?

My understanding is that you want to minimize the use of adverbs and adjectives as much as possible. Personally, I see nothing wrong with using adverbs and adjectives. However, some authors can go overboard with adverbs and adjectives by writing purple prose. Something like this:

If the reader has to stop and think about every single word in a paragraph, then there is something wrong with the paragraph. In the example, a typical reader probably has to think, "what on earth is pisces? Hmmm... oh, fish." Then, that reader sees ethereal, shattered molecules, precipice, blah blah blah. The modern reader has no time for looking up every single word. What is more likely is that the modern reader will stop reading and close your book; the reader will not even buy it, and you will receive no payment in royalties.

All this talk about good writing style is about what the modern reader wants, so that the reader will be willing to buy your work, and so that you can make money. Advice on good writing style should never be taken on absolute terms. They should always be taken on relative terms, because they are advice that works currently for a specific language demographic. If you choose to write your book in Standard Written Chinese, then you likely have to follow the writing conventions that modern Chinese readers (more likely to be first-language speakers than second-language speakers, whereas English is the only language in the world with more second-language speakers than first-language speakers) are accustomed to.

It is possible to invent your own adverbs, like so:

And so, the little horse clippity-cloppity went up the road.

But, you may lose your readers that way, because your readers will probably wonder why you insert a made-up word in the sentence. You can just remove that word, and the sentence will read fine. When you are reading your work, assume the role of the modern reader. Will the modern reader feel comfortable with adjectives and adverbs? If the reader is getting slowed down by the adjectives and adverbs, then it's time to revise! That's why it's important to have close friends to proofread your work for simple typographical errors as well as stylistic choices.

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