Funny thing is, he doesn't even follow his own advice. Many of his books include lots and lots of adverbs (The Shining, for example).
Besides, adverbs make writing more emotional. Would you rather read the sentence "I'm extremely thirsty" or "I'm thirsty" - the former has more punch and describes the state of thirst better. Try re-writing that sentence describing extreme thirst levels without adverbs, you start getting into an overly technical, hard to read writing style. "My thirst is extreme" (a sentence which doesn't describe the feeling of being thirsty) or "I am in a state of extreme levels of thirst" (a sentence that sounds too technical).
The advice should be "don't use so many adverbs," not "don't use adverbs at all." Adverbs exist for a reason.
Besides, adverbs make writing more emotional. Would you rather read the sentence "I'm extremely thirsty" or "I'm thirsty" - the former has more punch and describes the state of thirst better. Try re-writing that sentence describing extreme thirst levels without adverbs, you start getting into an overly technical, hard to read writing style. "My thirst is extreme" (a sentence which doesn't describe the feeling of being thirsty) or "I am in a state of extreme levels of thirst" (a sentence that sounds too technical).
The advice should be "don't use so many adverbs," not "don't use adverbs at all." Adverbs exist for a reason.