BETWEEN THE LINES

I am not a great fan of adverbs in writing. Sometimes, when used judiciousLY, the can be quite effective. But often I find them used as a lazy person's way out of good characterization. This is especialLY true in dialogue tags.

eg.

"Your sister's back."
"Oh great," he said, sarcastically.

If the framing dialogue and writing in general were adequate, then it would be clear that when the character says, "Oh great," he is being sarcastic. Sure, it's quick and easy, and even in some cases, would be the right choice. But in general, I think it better to characterize the sarcasm by showing, not telling. Here's what I mean:

"Your sister's back."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh great."

Instead of lecturing the reader and telling what should be obvious, I'm showing the reader.

Stephen King said, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." :)

So just to torment me

erdnase2000