Make words come alive with vivid modifiers

Lately the message has been sent to writers to avoid using adverbs, adjectives or prepositional phrases in writing. This idea is the same as telling a long-distance runner to wear a mask to limit his breathing or to find his feet together. It doesn’t cause better writing, it just limits its power and impact. The message would be better if it said: “Don’t use vague and abstract modifiers in your writing because that weakens what you have to say.” That idea makes sense.

Modifiers such as adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases describe or limit subjects, verbs, objects, or other modifiers. However, to improve writing, any modifier should be as vivid and specific as possible. Modifiers must be necessary and not fillers (unnecessary words that just fill spaces).

Vague, abstract modifiers should be avoided or replaced with specific, concrete modifiers. What does beautiful mean? The day was so beautiful. What specific or concrete modifiers would mean beautiful to the writer so that the reader knows what he means? Perhaps the writer means that the day was bright and sunny, that little or no wind disturbed the trees, that the deep blue of the sky was not clouded by storm clouds.

Revised sentence: The day had no wind to disturb the trees as the sun shone brightly in the blue sky with no storm clouds. (Not only are specific, vivid modifiers used, but the verb is changed from a future tense to an action verb.)

Avoiding clichés, hackneyed and hackneyed modifiers and using new or original modifiers makes writing stronger. Heartbreaking is an overused adjective. Which synonym would work best in the following sentence? His departure and rejection was heartbreaking. (We could also try losing the was.)

Revised Award: The shock of his departure and rejection made her breath stop for a few seconds and her chest ache.

An example list of vague and/or abstract modifiers includes the following: big, long, big, pretty, ugly, beautiful, very, barely, usually; but there are many more. If enough detail is not provided with a modifier so that the reader knows what the writers mean, then it should be replaced.

Bring your writing to life by avoiding vague or abstract modifiers and using specific, vivid modifiers instead.