Breaking the Rules About Adverbs

If you’ve done much writing of fiction, you’ve probably come across this rule: ‘Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said” … To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin.’ This particular instance of the rule comes from the Guardian’s list of Ten Rules for Writing Fiction, but it’s not the only place I’ve ever run across it.

(What’s an adverb? Here’s an example with the adverb ‘fervently’ modifying the verb ‘said’: “I don’t agree with the rule,” Zam said fervently.)

I’ve wrestled with that ‘adverbs are anathema’ rule for a long time, and I’ve decided it’s just not as good a rule as it sounds. It and its cousin, ‘never use any word other than “said” to indicate speech’ both come from a well-meaning place that aims to streamline writing and encourage the practice of ‘showing, not telling’ in fiction, but I think they also encourage throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Should the dialogue carry the emotion? Of course. But sometimes it’s important to convey tone of voice, and sometimes verbs and adverbs are the best way to do so.

“I want that,” he said.
“I want that,” he said softly.
“I want that,” he shouted.

What a world of difference those verbs and adverbs make to the way that statement reads.

To be fair, I agree that adverbs and verbs are often misused. It’s a slippery slope from ‘”I want that,” he shouted’ to ‘”I want that,” he asserted lustily’, but even a slippery slope can be successfully navigated with the right footwear and climbing equipment. (For our purposes, that footwear and equipment would be thinking about what you are trying to say and how you are trying to say it, being aware that the guidelines exist, and being deliberate in how you break them.)

There are no bad words, only bad writers who use words injudiciously. So this is my declaration of independence from slavish adherence to the rules. I will not flinch every time I use a speech verb, and I will stop looking nervously over my shoulder for the style police every time I type a word that ends in “ly”.