Banish adjectives and adverbs
This is a two parter.
First, sit for a few minutes and make a list of phrases and words that describe something that evokes strong feelings in you: a troll, a wolf, ice cream, favorite stuffed animal, an annoying little brother ;-) Try to get all the senses in there.
Second, go over the list and reword them without adjectives and adverbs (so “annoying” and “little” have to go though he could become “He who must annoy.” “An annoyance waiting to happen.”) Use strong nouns and verbs instead. (You can also use any other words, just not adjective or adverbs.)
This is from Finessing Description at the Rhizome website and they say in addition: “the technical heart of the experiment is to use no adjectives or adverbs. You can’t talk about the “starry sky.” You can’t tell me “the sky is starry.” You must find another device to render that sight. “Stars litter the sky” says it? “Blackness punctured by stars, pinholes punched in sable, seeds scattered wildly, spawning light.” Get the idea?”
