More From Twain

"Anybody can have ideas—the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph. 
I never write 'metropolis' for seven cents when I can write 'city' and get paid the same. 
As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out." 
—Mark Twain

Show, Don't Tell

It is axiomatic that in writing you should show rather than tell. This means fewer adjectives and more concrete words. Mark Twain notwithstanding, there are good adjectives and bad adjectives. Bad ones are opinions: ugly, terrible, gorgeous. Instead, describe objectively and let the reader make the conclusion. Show that something is ugly, terrible, gorgeous with a clever description. If your description can't lead the reader to your desired conclusion, it's not well written.

When an adjective is called for, make it a concrete, evocative one: jagged, icy, billowy, wrinkled, oily, bright.

The job of the writer is to put the reader in his story. That means fewer adjectives, and, when an adjective is called for, stronger, concrete ones.

Don't Overwork Adjectives

"When you catch an adjective, kill it." —Mark Twain

I was just reading a biography for review and was put off by a large number of gushy adjectives. It brought this quote by Twain to mind. Read the context below and you will see it is not quite so harsh as it seems. But it makes the point.

"I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English—it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them—then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice." —Letter to D. W. Bowser March 20, 1880

Use adjectives sparingly.

Overuse of adjectives can dilute the strength of nouns. Adjectives are not as bad as Mark Twain's statement “When you catch an adjective, kill it.” Nor Voltaire's “The adjective is the enemy of the noun.” But those quotes give you the right idea. Don't force the use of adjectives.