Verb substitution is perhaps the quickest way to elevate the quality of your writing. Don’t “put” on your shoes, “slip” them on. Verbs are used to 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 that drives a story forward, verbs are the engine that make it go. Don’t submit a novel full of stage directions.

Example A: He held the shield against himself. (This is 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 sense of urgency.) This is because the action seems more important to the character and this will carry through to the reader. If your character doesn’t care, neither will your reader.

Often, words like was, have, had, were, is, would, should and could are unnecessary. (If you have 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 will already be in place. Simply change ‘I was explaining’ to ‘I explained’, ‘had to work’ to ’slaved’, ‘was aimed’ to ‘aimed’ and so on.

Other sentences will need to be completely 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 softer visual.

When evaluating a verb, remember to ask the following two questions:

  Is it as visually descriptive as possible?

Will another verb show more exertion for the action?

Exertion doesn’t always mean physical power. There can be a tremendous exertion of concentration with the use of fine motor skills or in tactical decision-making. Use body language to show it.

Remember this during revision, it can make the difference between getting published or rejected.