"The truth is, it wasn't a big deal" -- VPR & Adverbs

The title of today's blog entry ("The truth is, it wasn't a big deal") comes from the wonderful short story "One Holy Night" by Sandra Cisneros.

I've been teaching short stories in my Intro. to English class this semester. When we went over this line, one of the students in my class, Jessica, pounced on the word "it," calling out, "Vague pronoun reference!"

I have to admit I was pleased! Since school started in August, I've been trying to drill basic writing rules into my students' heads. In our class, VPR doesn't stand for Vermont Public Radio; it stands for Vague Pronoun Reference. (Though I had to explain to Jessica that once you've mastered the basic rules of grammar, you can go on -- like Sandra Cisneros did here -- to break them!)

Another rule I've been drilling into my students' heads is: Death to Adverbs. I told my students their writing will be stronger if they avoid words that end in "ly" (most adverbs do). On the other hand, I told them that sometimes adverbs are acceptable -- what I want my students to do is catch themselves when use an adverb and ask, "Do I really need that word?"

Today, I found my copy of Stephen King's wise book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I remembered that King was also no fan of adverbs. Here's what King has to say on the subject: "The adverb is not your friend.... Adverbs, like the passive voice, seem to have been created with the timid writer in mind.... I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs." 

How's that for good writing?