DON'T HESITATE - TAKE ACTION . . . verbs in your story

 

Action Verbs

Action Verbs are “in-the-moment” words that move a story forward. As writers, we want our reader’s eyes to keep scanning the page, not to stop on a term, word or lack luster phrase.

Mark Twain was once quoted for saying: “When in doubt, strike it out.”

An Action Verb describes the action taking place in the story by using immediate words such as run, walk, do, smile, drive, jump.

Here’s an example of a passive word choice opposed to an action verb.

Before: She was running…

Action: She ran …

Before: She was talking about …

Action: She told…

 Before: The group was beginning to come toward the table…

Action: The group sat at the table … 

Here are some examples of Passive words versus Powerful terms:

Powerful                                                                  Passive

Is	Am
Does	Did
Are	Was
Be	Were
Being	Been
Should	Would
Have	Has
Can	Could
Must	Might

 

Here's a list of Action verbs (or strong, powerful, and descriptive words):

Charge

Shoot

Plunge

Hurl

Fling

Lob

Carve

Forge

Force

 

And, if you need more examples of stronger word choices:

INSTEAD OF:                                           USE THIS:

Increased                                                    Advanced

Helped                                                        Strengthened

Started                                                       Launched

Found                                                        Discovered

 

Last, but not least, here is a short list of strong action verbs to use in your writing:

Advance . . . your story

Advise

Alter

Amend

Amplify

Attack

Balloon

Bash

Batter

Beam

Blab

Blast

Bolt

Boost

Brood

Burst

Bust

Cackle

Capture

Catch

Charge

Chip

Clasp

Climb

Clutch

Collide

Command

Cower

Crash

Crave

Crush

Dangle

Dash

Demolish

Depart

Deposit

Detect

Deviate

Devour

Discover

Dismantle

Drag

Drain

Drip

Drop

Engage

Engulf

Enlarge

Ensnare

Erase

Expand

Explode

Explore

Expose

Extend

Extract

Fight

Fish

Fling

Fly

Frown

Fuse

Garble

Gaze

Glare

Gleam

Glisten

Glitter

Gobble

Govern

Grasp

Gravitate

Grip

Groan

Grope

Growl

Guide

Gush

Hack

Hail

Heighten

Hobble

Hover

Ignite

Illuminate

Inspect

Instruct

Impart

Jostle

Launch

Lead

Leap

Locate

Lurch

Lurk

Mimic

Moan

Multiply

Muse

Mushroom

Mystify

Notify

Obtain

Oppress

Order

Paint

Park

Peck

Peek

Peer

Pilot

Poison

Pop

Power

Prick

Probe

Prune

Recite

Recoil

Remove

Report

Retreat

Reveal

Reverberate

Revolve

Rip

Rise

Ruin

Rush

Rust

Saunter

Scamper

Scan

Scorch

Scrape

Scratch

Scrawl

Seize

Serve

Shatter

Shepherd

Shimmer

Shine

Shock

Shrivel

Sizzle

Skip

Skulk

Slash

Slide

Slink

Slip

Slump

Slurp

Smash

Snag

Snarl

Sneak

Soar

Stare

Starve

Steal

Steer

Storm

Strain

Stretch

Strip

Stroll

Struggle

Stumble

Surge

Survey

Swell

Swipe

Swoon

Tail

Tattle

Toddle

Transfigure

Transform

Travel

Treat

Trim

Trip

Trudge

Tussle

Untangle

Unveil

Usher

Veil

Wail

Weave

Wreck

Wrench

Wrest

Wrestle

Wring

Yank

Zap

Zing

Zip

 

Writerly Wednesday - Interview of Author Stormi Lewis

Author Stormi Lewis shares tips, tricks and hints on how to get published in this short half-hour interview. Join us for a trip down the path to publication. Stormi has two books out and a third one on the way. I'm sure you'll enjoy her warm personality and value her writing wisdom. 

Plus, post a comment below for a chance to win an autographed copy of her latest book:

And don't forget to click on the link below to view the interview, and visit my YouTube channel to see more author interviews. 

Writerly Wednesday

 

With the new year underway, I thought what better time than to set a few goals? And, I thought it would be more fun if I connected with other like-minded folk who enjoy fiction, fantasy and maybe even a little fun too.

So, I thought I’d start a Writerly Wednesday blog where I could list upcoming competitions for writers and illustrators and perhaps some mentoring opportunities.

And I wanted to begin with Brenda Drake’s competition. If you’ve never heard of Pitch Wars or PitMad, check it out here: Pitch Wars and if you’ve never heard of Brenda Drake you can read more about her here:  Pitch Wars » Brenda Drake

Years ago, I competed in Pitch Wars and was lucky enough to win a mentorship. It was a fantastic opportunity and an even better journey on my path to publication. Now, I’m not saying that I sold that particular book…yet…but it definitely helped me take my manuscript to the next level.

So, if you’re looking for a little help with your creativity, Pitch Wars might just be perfect for you. And, if you’re simply looking for some like-minded friends or building your network in the writing community, this is a great place to begin.

And if you have any questions about my experience through the Pitch Wars process, please list them in the comment section below.

Let’s all work together to make this a better, more creative, year for everyone.

 

Have You Ever Wanted to Kill Someone...?

Of course I'm talking about Characters in your stories...

I did a presentation for Young Willamette Writers in Portland, Oregon and  thought I'd share my class notes with any other writers out there who might be interested.

Killing Your Characters

Workshop project:

Here are two options for you to choose between:

Think about Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, or any Disney Princess.

1)      Now, take a few minutes to write what might have happened in the story if your favorite/main character had been killed off early in the book.

Or

2)      Give three plot examples of how you could change the story with compelling narrative options for killing off your favorite character without ruining the story.

Writers have lots of different reasons for killing off their characters. But before we decide to kill anyone, we want to have a good reason to do it otherwise all we’re going to do is put your readers in a rage.

1)    Resurrections. Of course we want to create tension but not to the point of killing off characters and then having to bring them back to life – say with a dream sequence.

2)    ShockNADO or not another Shock Attack. Don’t simply kill off a character to create shock value. This will turn readers off and we want to keep them reading to the last page.

3)    Emotional Hostage. Don’t be a sociopath and kill for no reason. Any character’s death needs to be worth the cost. Readers are attached to the main character…or should be. So remember, no writer should kill off characters like a serial killer…for no reason. Make sure every death packs a punch that’s worth the price.

4)    Stop, Look and Listen. And make sure your other characters are in tune with the emotional timing. These characters are now not simply backup singers to your story. They are going to have to carry your show so make sure they take a moment to Stop…and process what has happened. Your minor characters are now the ones who will display the heartfelt reactions we are feeling from our loss.

5)    Make sure you have a Backup. I mean another character who can step into our Hero’s shoes. If there’s no other character for us to love, worry about or at least care for, we’re going to close the book and that’s the end of the story. Not a good way to end a story. We want our readers to want to read to the very last page. So, we have to give them a reason.  

There Are Good Reasons to Kill…Off  Characters.

1)    Remember the Alamo or at least the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. There would have been no story or plot without killing off a lot of wonderful main characters in this trilogy.

2)    No Guilt Over the Bad Guy No one cares if we kill off the bad guys but remember good guys die too and for our stories to ring true to our readers we have to have authenticity and sometimes our loved ones have to die.

3)    The Disney Delusion. We can’t always have a prince (or princess) ride to the rescue. Not every story has to have a happy ending. Sometimes the most heartfelt stories are the ones that stick with us long after we close the book. (The Lovely Bones, The Fault in Our Stars, and even the classic of The Diary of Anne Frank).

4)    James or even Jane Bond. Unless you want to tell an unrealistic story just for the pure fantasy or the excitement of the ride, we have to be honest with our characters and the way they live and/or die.

5)    Die with Dignity. If you do decide to kill off your character, the death needs to be a crucial part of the plot. Let your character have death with dignity. Whenever we lose a loved one, we want to make sure we understand what happened, how and why. Don’t let an emotional moment be lost by rushing through it. If it must be done, do it “write.”

 If you have any questions, let me know. And If you want to see what else I have to say about writing, check out my website or connect with me on Facebook.

www.kimkasch.com
If we were all the same, life would be boring.
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