Truth be told, we don’t really (Oops, there’s one!) know if he does. The prolific dark fantasy, sci-fi, suspense-thriller author is credited with a whimsical quote about this part of speech. Stephen King is said to have quipped that “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
Stephen King isn’t the only icon, editor or instructor in the writing industry who cautions fiction authors to avoid adverbs. However, this doesn’t mean there is a rule against using them. In fact, it’s best to think of adverbs the way you might think of dessert—moderation is the key.
Does Stephen King ever use adverbs in his novels?
If you were to page through a collection of Stephen King novels, you’d no doubt discover at least a few adverbs in every story. So, what might the reason be for his comment mentioned earlier in this post? There are several downfalls to using adverbs in a work of fiction, including these issues:
- If you’re not careful, use of an adverb can make a verb redundant.
- Opting for a verb modifier can make your writing less descriptive than it could be with a stand-alone verb.
- Overuse of adverbs weakens writing.
Notice that the last issue included in the list does not state that adverbs make your writing weak. It is “overuse” that creates the problem.
A brief overview of adverb misusage
Have you ever had trouble focusing or following the speech of someone whose tone was monotonous? (Think, falling asleep in a lecture hall.) Redundancy is to authors what monotony is to a speaker. Perhaps Stephen King avoids adverbs because he understands that redundancy will not keep his readers on the edge of their seats.
An example of causing redundancy by using an adverb might be writing that a character “shouted loudly” in the hope of attracting the rescuers’ attention in the forest. You cannot shout without being loud. You’d be hard-pressed to find a line editor who would not strike the adverb “loudly” from that phrase. One of your primary goals as a fiction author is to be descriptive yet concise. Why write that a woman was “walking really quickly” when you could use words like “dashed” or “hurried” instead?
When are adverbs okay?
Overusing adverbs is counterproductive to excellence in writing. This doesn’t mean there is never cause to use an adverb in a story. Focus on correctness and effectiveness. It’s wise to study this part of speech, even if you think you’ve mastered the concept.
Before submitting a manuscript to a publisher, check your story for misusage or overuse of adverbs. Rewrite sections as needed, keeping the information shared in this post in mind as a guide.
