In the early years of my writing career, a magazine editor gently chastised me for using weak verbs in the article I’d submitted. “Use lively verbs,” he told me. Lively verbs? What the heck did that mean?
I searched through my article again. Sure enough, most of the verbs I’d used were passive and emotionless. Is. Were. Was. Thought. Said. Went. Made. Told. Looked. Seemed.
My editor had nailed it. My weak verbs sucked all the energy out of my otherwise solid article. My article informed the reader, sure, but it didn’t ring, grab, inspire, or rally. It mostly just lay there on the page, listless.
What a revelation. Lively verbs resuscitated my story.
That single statement from that single editor (one of the finest editors I would ever have the joy of collaborating with for several more years, it turned out), left a lasting impression on me. It influenced forever how I scrutinize my word choices in both my fiction and my nonfiction. (See there? I started to write “looked at,” but then changed it to “scrutinize.”)
Why let a character walk across the room when the way he walks can intensify the tension in that room? Does he saunter? Limp? Shuffle? Pinball from table to chair to bookcase?
Verbs, when carefully selected, can accomplish more than a mere action:
- They can offer subtle clues to the character’s emotional state (“he slashed/dashed/scribbled/smeared his signature onto the contract” or “she stroked/strangled/fidgeted with the stem of the wineglass”).
- They can underscore the conflict or problem in the scene (“she winced/cringed/smirked at the sight of the gun” or “he wrestled/resigned/taunted himself over the decision”).
- They can establish atmosphere and tone (“the sunlight stabbed through the window blinds” or “the sunlight bathed the room in rosy warmth”).
Now, years later, the phrase “lively verbs” still holds a permanent spot at the top of my revision notes for everything I write. It’s one of the easiest revision passes I make, too. As I read each sentence, I note the verbs and consider how well they’re serving my story. Can they be strengthened? Do they grab my reader and propel my character across the page? Can better verbs amp up the tension, conflict, or atmosphere in this scene, or can they enhance my character’s personality?
How about your verbs? Can they be made to sing a livelier song?
[Photo by Justin Young on Unsplash]