 Horror/Scary: May 16, 2018 Issue [#8895] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: The Perfect Verb Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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In Search Of The Perfect Verb
Do you ever wonder why a grammatically correct sentence you’ve written just lies there like a dead fish? I sure have. Your sentence might even be full of those adjectives and adverbs your teachers and loved ones so admired in your writing when you were a kid.
But still the sentence doesn’t work.
Something simple I learned years ago: “Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs.”
Even Mark Twain was quoted, regarding adjectives: “When in doubt, strike it out.”
That’s not to say there’s no place for adjectives. I used three in the title and first paragraph of this post alone.
The point is that good writing is more about well-chosen nouns and strong verbs than it is about adjectives and adverbs, regardless what you were told as a kid.
There’s no quicker win for you and your manuscript than ferreting out and eliminating flabby verbs and replacing them with vibrant ones.
Three types of verbs to beware of when writing
1)State of Being verbs
These are passive as opposed to powerful:
DON'T USE Is, Am, Are, Was, Were, Be, Being, Been, Have, Has, Had, Do, Does, Did, Shall, Will, Should, Would, May, Might, Must, Can, Could
2)Verbs that rely on adverbs
Powerful verbs are strong enough to stand alone.
Examples: The fox ran quickly dashed through the forest. She menacingly looked glared at her rival. He secretly listened eavesdropped while they discussed their plans.
3)Verbs with -ing suffixes
Examples: He was walking / He walked
She was loving the idea of / She loved the idea of
The family was starting to gather / The family started to gather…
Here's a small list of strong verbs...
USE Dangle, Dash, Demolish, Depart, Detect, Devour, Drag, Drain, Drop, Erase, Explode, Explore, Fight, Fly, Frown, Garble, Gaze, Glare, Glisten, Glitter, Gobble, Grasp, Gravitate, Grip, Groan, Grope, Growl, Gush, Hack, Hobble, Hover, Hurry, Ignite, Illuminate, Inspect, Instruct, Jostle, Journey, Lash, Launch, Leap, Lurch, Lurk, Transform, Trudge, Tussle, Unearth, Unveil
Until Next Time,
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DEAD LETTERS
dogpack saving 4premium 
Regarding: "REAL LIFE HORROR MOVIE: Helping A Friend"
Thank you for pointing out that sometime the norm can become the horror. Much fodder for creativity.
Quick-Quill 
So true. That nice old man who loves to garden next door and you come to find out he's burying pieces of his victims right next to your fence. After you dog digs a long femur up and brings it into your house.
Jayngle Bells 
I'm not all that adept at horror yet, though I try. I have discovered recently that the scariest people are the ones who didn't make your warning bells go off - and then you find that they should have.
The warning bells of hindsight are terrifying!
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