Adjectives may be strong, but nouns are powerful. With a good noun, you can go an entire story with an adjective.
Adjectives are strong, but sometimes they can be weak. Take the phrases below for example:
“a funny guy”
“a guy who is funny“
Both examples are helpful describg the noun (“guy”) but they are also flawed. In the first phrase, if the page cut off after the adjective “funny,” readers would be confused. A funny what? T-shirt? Song?
The second example shares this flaw. It uses an relative clause (“who is _”) which functions as an adjective, since it describes the noun. It’s a handy technique, but if the page cut off anywhere after “guy” and before “funny,” readers would be lost. Imagine if after the “is” was information that never again gets revealed in a story. The sentence could read: “A guy who is a fan of sentimental operas, though he tends not share this with others.” But readers would only see “a guy who is” and never be fufilled. Ah, the unaddressed suspense…!
Don’t get me wrong, adjectives are great. They can be excellent descriptors, with phrases like “a witty guy” or “a guy who has a wry sense of humor.” But they hold nouns back.
With a good noun in a phrase, you don’t need an adjective:
“A prankster“
“A comedian“
“An impressionist“
In one word, a reader has learned information that previously required two words.
Whenever you’re revising your work, it’s always a good idea to look at the adjectives you’ve used and decide if they work good or if they could swapped out for a better noun. Happy writing, and seeya next time!
The Fiction Writer 