Thanks to P.A. for responding to my call for article submissions to this newsletter--Maurine

By P.A. Moore

"He walked slowly into the room, a ghost-like figure."

Is there a more creative way to express the same thought? Writers should consider eliminating the overuse of adverbs and use more dramatic verbs instead. Here are some tips on avoiding adverbs and using dynamic, instead of stative, verbs. (More on statives later.)

"He glided into the room like a ghost dancing just above the floor."
"The thief crept into the room on tippy-toes."
"The armed felon sauntered by the police officer, just as cool as can be."

How do we become more aware of the adverbs lurking in each paragraph? Here are some suggestions: have a reader go through your draft, circling the offenders; perhaps do a word search for -"-ly" and see what emerges; try a writing exercise in which there are no adverbs at all and see how well you do. This exercise will give you a clue about your adverb usage.
Why go for strong dynamic verbs at all? Dynamic verbs convey action. Action in turn moves the story and quickens the pace, encouraging the reader to turn the page.
Writing that depends on stative verbs, those which indicate a state or condition of either short or long duration, tend to be more introspective and thoughtful. Examples are: seem, have, like, belong, fit. You can find more complete lists on-line, but here's an example.
"She seemed lost in thought."
"The stray dog belonged to no one and to everyone."
These statives are useful for setting the scene and providing insight into characters and can be used to temper a fast moving plot.
In conclusion, if the goal is to keep the reader engaged and to move the story along, dynamic verbs should be your first choice.
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Dr. P.A. Moore is an editor and proofreader, and adjunct faculty in Business English at Menlo College. Aboutme.com/pamoore88

Fair Dates June 11-18