Writers, when they sit down to write, often have an out of body experience. The writer detaches himself from who he is. At work he's Alfred, funny, cheerful a storyteller, As a writer, he become Stephen King, or Louis L'Amour, or John Green. He stops being the person who tells stories that make people laugh and slides into a different persona. Different - because he believes he has to be different or funnier or more forceful to make it as a writer. To be successful.

He ceases to be himself because he thinks writing is being someone else. That Hemmingway was an accountant during the day - but at night, when the muse was whispering in his ear, he was a real writer. Sophisticated, insightful, elegant. Different.

In my opinion this is what causes stiff writing, awkward writing. Using too many adverbs to cover the fact that "someone else" is writing the story that YOU want to write.

Excellent article, Linda