"Always be a poet, even in prose.” ~ Charles Baudelaire
Mark Twain said, "If you can catch an adjective, kill it." Stephen King feels, "Adverbs pave the road to Hell." I agree. Avoid stacking adjectives before nouns in your sentences. Let verbs do the work without the use of adverbs as tails.
A noun and action verb, use of sensory imagery and metaphor will propel your message. It takes time to select words that communicate to the reader.
Example: She sat in a very uncomfortable chair. The reader has no idea what that feels like. Show how the chair's cushions sag. If you must use an adjective, it needs to enrich the noun with information. Let it startle the noun, not overload it Make it an unfriendly chair. Show how the chair added to her feelings of distress as it engulfed her.
When you use words: love, beautiful, reverence, and wonder you rob the reader of an opportunity to experience your ideas. Bring the reader into your world with details and sensory imagery. Rather than write about a beautiful sunset describe the colors and use a metaphor. Show reverence for nature by showing how your fingers wander in the garden. Write about the hummingbirds that hatch from the nest.
Help the reader experience wonder without using the word by revealing it.
Take a look at your current work. Read it aloud to make certain each word carries the vitality of your message. After you complete a draft, go in and highlight adjectives and adverbs. Don't let them rob sentences of their power.
Details conquer all.
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