Verb substitution is the quickest way to elevate your writing quality. Don’t ‘put’ on your shoes. ‘Slip’ them on. Verbs package the scene for the reader’s imagination. They should be concise and bring images or feelings to mind.

Replace weak verbs with active verbs. If conflict is the vehicle driving a story forward, verbs are gas making it go. Don’t submit a novel full of stage directions.

Example A: He held the shield against himself (WEAK). Choose a verb and sentence structure that presents more visual detail and effort for the movement.

Example B: He braced against the shield. (More effort is being made, his whole body is moving, and there is a stronger sense of urgency.) Actions seeming important to your character carry through to the reader.

Often, words like was, have, had, were, is, would, should and could are unnecessary. (If using Microsoft Word, click edit at the top left of the window, and scroll to ‘find.’ Replace the words with power verbs.)

Sometimes the correct verb or sentence structure is already in place. Simply change ‘I was explaining’ to ‘I explained’, ‘had to work’ to ’slaved’, ‘was aimed’ to ‘aimed’, and so on.

Other sentences may need restructured. For example, ‘She was never embarrassed by Maria.’ to ‘Maria never embarrassed her.’

Verbs dictate pacing. In rare cases, you can intentionally plant the word ‘was’ before the verb to create a soft visual or use a weak sentence with ‘was’ to highlight the subject being acted upon.

When evaluating a verb, ask the following two questions: Is my verb as visually descriptive as possible? Will another verb show more physical, mental, or emotional exertion for the action?