Jan 22, 2008 Posted by mike

The Ironic Life of Adverbs and Adjectives

by John Caruso Adverbs and adjectives intoxicate with their promise of description and clarity. But beware! Overuse leads to laziness and vague writing. A dependence on modifiers can leave you with a group of words that don’t say much at all. Would you rather have a character that “drinks quickly,” or one who “gulps”? Would you rather have a character that has ”... read more

Jan 22, 2008 Posted by mike

That’s Nice

by John Caruso Think about the simple phrase, “that’s nice.” At first, these two words seem direct. They don’t appear to harbor any confusion at all. However, without context, this phrase has no definite meaning. It could be affectionate. It could be condescending or dismissive. It could be a sarcastic retort or a distracted non sequitur. Without context, a reader has no clue as to... read more

Jan 22, 2008 Posted by mike

A Heaping Helping Of Clichés

by John Caruso I enjoy considering clichés. Of course I understand the certain death they bring to a piece of writing. However, in and of themselves they can be quite interesting. Consider that at some point, a cliché was good writing. It was an original thought. As a matter of fact, it was SO good that it was used ad nauseam. Nouveau clichés (sounds a bit like an exotic fan dancer’s name,... read more

Jan 22, 2008 Posted by mike

I Brought My Balance Beam to Show & Tell

by John Caruso Sooner or later, writing columns trot out the old chestnut, “Show, don’t tell.” I figured we’d get it out of the way right now. As aphorisms go, it has it’s merits. It’s short, pithy, and conveys a good message. As a cast-iron rule, however, it fails. Indeed, “showing” makes compelling fiction, and I am not advocating the elimination of... read more

Jan 22, 2008 Posted by mike

The Elemental

by John Caruso The ancient alchemists sought to change base metals into gold, explain life, and discover the secrets of immortality. Alchemists worked with one foot planted in science and the other in the quasi-religious. This sounds suspiciously like writing. Substitute “writers” for “alchemists” and “words” for “metals,” and I’d say you have a pretty... read more