If there was one single note of craft advice I could highlight to all writers, it would be this:

‘Avoid abstracts. No silly adverbs like sleepily, irritably, sadly, please.’

This is from Chuck Palahniuk, the author of Fight Club. And while I don’t intend for this to be an endorsement of all of Palahniuk’s writing (I love Fight Club, Survivor and Invisible Monsters, not so much his later stuff), it’s one of the best tips for writers in leaning into the ‘show don’t tell’ mindset.

Because a lot of people have trouble understanding what ‘show don’t tell’ actually means. This rule forces you to apply it. 

So, rather than saying ‘he moved quickly,’ you’re going to have to come up with a description to add color to that term.

‘He moved like a snake lunging towards its prey.’ Depending on the movement, this would be a more specific, more visceral, and more engaging description that better captures the actual action or scene.

I hate reading bad adverbs. Quickly, rapidly, speedily. Harshly, roughly, leisurely. All of these can be written better, and can help to build the story through creative, mentally engaging, descriptive means.

Adverbs are lazy. I mean, not all of them, and you are going to have to use some. Also, simplicity often works best. But it is worth reviewing any adverbs that you’ve included, and to think about what you’re describing.

I’m willing to bet that in a lot of cases, you’ll come up with a better option.