Jonesin' for an Adverb?

      No, I've never been addicted to adverbs. However, after reading Lisa Ricard Claro's post on the slippery slope (and the swirling controversy) that are adverbs, I thought about my writing... and things that are subtle.

      I love Shonda Rhimes' newest shows--How to Get Away With Murder. (I'm no longer cray-cray about Grey's Anatomy and have not ever gotten into Scandal.) 99.9% of the reason why I'm already hooked (after just three or four shows) is due to five syllables:

Vi

o

la

Da

vis.

     I was smitten in the movie Doubt. Viola Davis had a small but explosive part. She completely transformed herself for The Help. And now she's on television every week.

     If you have not seen it yet, watch it--from the first episode. There are subtle things that Davis does--small movements, facial expressions--that show and don't tell. Thinking about what she does as an actress makes me think of my writing.

    There are times when I use an adverb to shove in some meaning... Is it a case of laziness? Is it a matter of time--or lack thereof? There are times when adverbs are appropriate, but most of the time, showing through subtle gestures and details will paint a richer picture for the reader. 

      And check out Viola Davis. She's got quite a deft touch... (And if you watch the video below, you'll find out what outrageous demands Davis had as the star of this show.)

      (I am sorry. I already fell of the Monday and Thursday posting wagon. This week was parent-teacher conferences, and I was frizzled beyond crisp last night. Tomorrow I'm going to a writing workshop in nearby Columbia with a few writing friends. On Monday, I'll share some tidbits.)

Long or Short?

Long or short books for your reading pleasure? Right now I'm reading Justin Cronin's The Passage, and it's one of those you're-thankful-to-take-a-dump-and-you-love-commercials kind of books, because every time I get to squeeze some reading in, I do. It's a 700+ pager, I'm halfway through and looking forward to seeing where it puts me at the end. (For all you Seinfeld fans, that book has been in the bathroom so many times, there are flags all over the place.)

Long or short hair? I've been growing my hair for a while, and no matter how long it gets, it never looked lovely. I always looked more like Rumplestiltskin than Rapunzel.

This afternoon I got it whacked off. And I feel so much better...

Long spurts or short ones? When I get an idea of something to add--even if I'm not at the place where it truly belongs yet--I spend a few minutes and slip it in...because if I don't get it down on paper, I'll forget it and it'll be lost. I'm trying to make the most of small windows of time to write, while looking forward to some event-free weekends and perhaps a few snow days when winter hits, so I can have some large spans of time to write. (Is October too early for a deluge of freezing rain?)


Long breasts or short ones? (Oh, if you're younger than fifty-something, you don't know what I'm talking about...But you will.)


Long-sighted or short-sighted? What are you looking forward to in the far future, and what are you looking forward to that's happening really soon?

Short-haired Sioux wants to know...