There are forests of books on how to write a good story. They can be a little overwhelming – so much to fix – where do you begin? So this is the first in a series of 'top tip' posts, taking one fix at a time to nudge your story up a level.
N.B. Not one of these posts will be about commas or punctuation!
Use Strong Verbs
One of the first things you learn when you start writing fiction is show don't tell.
e.g. Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass is often attributed to the master storyteller and playwright, Anton Chekov.
Here's my example:
Telling: Maisy was very tired.
Showing: Maisy staggered to the armchair, collapsed into its lumpy seat, closed her eyes and let her head loll.
There are many different ways to 'show' and 'telling' isn't always bad. Note how showing takes many more words! But also, showing tends to be a lot more interesting i.e. gripping to read. This isn't a post about showing and telling, there are loads of those. Here's a good one. But one relatively easy way you can increase the showing in your story is to check your verbs. Specifically, check for all instances of the verb to be.
The verb to be, by definition, is about being. Not doing anything at all. Being is not an action. Actions are your characters doing stuff from the smallest twitch of an eye to the mightiest superhero hurling a ten ton truck. I learned in school that verbs are doing words. Doing is action so doing words inject more action into your story. It is action that makes your characters come alive and so makes the story a lot more fun to read, a lot grippier.
Actions are easier for the reader to visualise. It is generally easier to imagine a character running, say, than just being. Though not all readers visualise as they read. About 1 in 30 people have a condition called aphantasia. This means that when they read all they 'see' are the words on the page. There's also the opposite condition - hyperaphantasia which is the full 'movie in my mind' experience. Most people are somewhere between the two extremes.
To be is a very weak verb. This tip is about strong verbs. For example, the verb to have is similarly weak e.g.
It's also a little ambiguous - do you have the rope in your hand or stashed away in a cupboard somewhere. A stronger, more specific, verb might be:
I'm holding a rope.
And better still...
I'm gripping or I grip the rope.
And even more active...
I grabbed the rope.
Have you read reviews that describe the writing as muscular? Verbs are like the muscles of your story. But this doesn't mean every verb has to be truck hurling, eye twitches are equally effective!
If you already have a draft...
In your draft, search for these words:
was
is
am
are
were
Now, where you can, swop these for better, active strong verbs.
Don't feel you have to totally eliminate all instances of 'to be'. But think about every one. This will not be just a straight swop. In nearly all cases you will need to rewrite and most likely increase your word count. These strong verbs will not only make your characters more active, they will also develop your characters and so deepen your story.
This is not a quick fix but it is a focussed one with extra benefits!
If you don't have a draft or want to try something new...
Find a prompt that grabs you and try to write without using any instance of 'to be' at all.
I like this list of prompts from Written Word Media. Scroll down to get the list, which is sorted into genres.
If you have a go at this I'd love to read what you come up with!
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