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Action/Adventure: March 28, 2012 Issue [#4954]

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Action/Adventure


 This week: Keep moving!
  Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Quote for the week: I never worry about action, but only inaction.~Winston Churchill


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Adventures rarely happen to people who sit around doing nothing. Action heroes are...well, active*Smile*

Readers choose action/adventure stories because they like a story that moves. Strong, active writing keeps your story moving:

Use strong verbs

In each case, which one sounds stronger?
Mary went to the door and opened it.
OR
Mary ran to the door and pulled it open.

I got out of bed.
OR
I crawled out of bed.

Use active voice and avoid passive voice

In active voice, the subject does the action.
Tom threw the ball.

In passive voice, the subject is acted upon.
The ball was thrown by Tom.

Avoid progressive verbs

Progressive verbs may sound clumsy and use two words to say what one word could say in simple past tense. For example:

Joe was sleeping while John was cleaning the house.

This could be replaced with:

Joe slept while John cleaned the house.

In some cases, a progressive verb is the best way to convey the meaning, for example:

Jim was sitting on my front porch when I got home. The difference is subtle, but in this case the progressive verb works better than simple past tense, because it conveys what she found Jim doing when she got home.

Avoid state of being verbs

State of being verbs (is, are, was, were, am, be) are weak verbs that tell instead of show.
Which of these gives a better picture of the action?
The people were happy.
OR
The people laughed and danced.

Something to try:
Take one of your stories and eliminate as many weak verbs, passive statements, progressive verbs, and state of being verbs as you can. Which version do you like better?

Until next time
Arakun the twisted raccoon Author Icon



Editor's Picks

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Valkyrie Open in new Window. (13+)
A girl is mistaken for a Valkyrie when she is mysteriously transported back in time.
#870141 by W.D.Wilcox Author IconMail Icon


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#1854209 by Not Available.


Kip Open in new Window. (13+)
A young thief gets in trouble while stealing to provide for a starving family
#1848101 by Wings Author IconMail Icon


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#1829613 by Not Available.


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#1416079 by Not Available.

 
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Ask & Answer

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