My writing buddy has something to say about adverbs. I don’t have to doubt or wonder what to do with that adverb. The app I’m using is one Demian Fanworth recommended it to me. (He blogs here, here and podcasts here)
It is Hemingway App / Editor. It has helped me write better. I hope this also means communicate better as well. (You can either use it for free on their website or buy the app to use on your computer)
After writing I ask this writing buddy of mine how I sound and he doesn’t mince his words. Dang, he’s ruthless but helpful. I’ve been using Hemingway App as one of the tools to help my communication.
I hope that writing better means that I communicate better. I hope it also means that the message get through faster. It is forcing me to do away with superfluity. I need that.
I don’t have it all figured out and I sometimes suck. Sometimes I don’t even realise how I rambled until I revisit it. My buddy, Hem, is keeping me on the straight and narrow; he forces me to review what I write.
In case you need revision, like I sometimes do, this is what Dictionary on my MacBook says:
Stephen King says the road to hell made of adverb ridden. Ha!
Apps like Hemingway are great tools to help me, and others like me, to get better at writing. As for adverbs, there’s no suggestion Hem gives either than, “remove it”. This makes me think of ways we can miss the mark by not wielding words well.
In wanting to sound profound we can get too wordy. In an attempt to write well we can add words that aren’t necessary. Adverbs are an easy hiding place for lazy writing.
This means that I (/we) need to work hard at not being wordy.
For writers and bloggers in particular. What tools are you using to force you to revise your writing? I mean more than a spell and grammar check. What about how easy your copy is to read and understand?
For the rest of us, what makes reading something difficult?