Adverbage

No, I do not know if that is a word. But it is a bad thing.

 "An elephant quickly ran towards me." Gag.  Do you feel scared? I don't.I feel amused. I think of an

elephant to fat to go fast so he kinda power waddles to me.

"An elephant charged to me in a furious gallop."  My knees are a little more wobbly now. Why? because

adverbs are fairly weak when it comes to Mad elephants or type of action really. Bad arguments, fist fights,

running away scenes.  When you read an adverb, you get the sense of being cheated out of the scene. I feel

like I am in one of those black and white movies, the really old ones where the words come after the actors

move their mouths, the lighting in virtually none-existent, and the quality is grainy. You can't get into the

scene, and you get bored easily. Compared that to sharp, clear words that are precise, true and descriptive.

It'll sharpen up your scene and make your reader more interested. Here are some commanly miss-

used/overly used adverbs you should avoid:

very - While “very” is intended to magnify a verb, adverb, or noun, it lacks precision. “Very” is

seldom essential. (Now, what’s wrong with “seldom” in the preceding sentence?) And very, very is

even worse. That's like saying infinite squared.

not - “Not” is an adverb meaning “in no manner” or “to no degree.” I discourage writers from using

“not” in short phrases. i.e. "It is not." Instead. "I disagree," "You're wrong." etc.

never / always - Absolutes either lock a writer into a position or give the reader the feel of

exaggeration, which typically makes them feel the word being described is not of great importance.

Use these words when the absolute is a command or instruction.

Always make sure the nuclear reactor chamber is sealed properly.

almost / nearly - Approximations should be used sparingly. Use “almost” or “nearly” when a precise

measurement is unrealistic in fiction or impossible. Plus, its boring. it reminds of

"Kids...We're almost there..."

anxiously / eagerly - “Anxiously” implies with anxiety and “eagerly” implies with anticipation. Both are weak adverbs that can be replaced by better describing a situation, as with all -ly words.

She waited anxiously.
She sat waiting, biting her lip and looking around the room.

only / merely - Condescending when used to describe a noun. Can be confusing.