BROADCASTS.com

Last week I talked about the mindset that believes growth is possible\u2014that you are neither stuck at your current level nor have you arrived at mastery. With that mindset, you can begin to evolve and improve.\n\nToday I recommend three simple writing tweaks that will keep your readers interested and engaged.\n1. Use Active, Vivid Verbs\nPropel your story or idea forward with active, vivid verbs. Don\u2019t fret about your word choices as you write your draft, but in the editing stage, especially, look for places you can swap a flat, lifeless verb for one that keeps the reader alert and engaged.\n\nA few examples of flat, lifeless verbs:\n\n \t\u201cis" and other forms of \u201cto be\u201d (am, are, was, were, be, being, been, will be, and so on)\n \t\u201cgo\u201d or \u201cwent"\n \t\u201chave\u201d or \u201chad"\n \t\u201cmade"\n \t"do"\n\nWhen you identify words like these that slow down your work, you open up new opportunities to improve. Start fishing for verbs that energize your writing and dream up new ways of expressing an idea or scene.\n\nLet\u2019s say a writer describes a troubling situation in her kitchen. She writes, \u201cThe Instant Pot made such weird sounds, I worried I\u2019d missed a step with the lid position or the settings.\u201d\n\nBy simply choosing a more vivid verb than \u201cmade\u201d ("The Instant Pot made such weird sounds\u2026\u201d), creativity kicks in and the whole scene picks up. Like this:\n\n\u201cThe Instant Pot fizzed and spit as the silver peg jiggled and wobbled. Did I miss a detail in the instruction book? Should I turn the lid one notch tighter or pick a setting lower than \u2018ultra'?"\n\nThe scene expanded and changed in tone. By playing with the verbs, the sentence came alive.\n\nThis simple tweak can produce stronger writing in all genres. Turn to active, vivid verbs whenever possible and play around with options.\n2. In General, Avoid \u201cThere was\u201d\nConsider this common sentence structure: "There was a jogger who outran a terrier that nipped at her heels."\n\nBecause "There was" includes a form of "to be," I could have lumped this suggestion under the discussion of flat, lifeless verbs. Instead, I want to address this on its own.\n>> \u201cThere was\u201d Fills in for Unknown Subject\nSometimes we use \u201cthere are\u201d when we aren\u2019t sure who or what the actor or subject is. Newspapers rely on this when reporting on a situation with limited information. \u201cLast night there was a robbery at the gas station on the corner of 5th and Main.\u201d\n\nPerhaps the reporter turned to \u201cthere was" because police hadn\u2019t said anything about the perpetrator. If so, the reporter didn\u2019t have enough information to write, \u201cTwo men wearing clown masks robbed the gas station on the corner of 5th and Main.\u201d To make the deadline for the morning paper, the reporter gave readers what he had so they are aware a robbery allegedly took place on the corner of 5th and Main.\n>> \u201cThere was\u201d Can Hide an Identity\nA writer might rely on \u201cthere was,\u201d \u201cthere are,\u201d or \u201cthere is\u201d to avoid casting blame.\n\nFor example, a mom might write in an email, \u201cI\u2019m going to miss the meeting. There was a flood in our house from an overflowing toilet.\u201d She chose \u201cthere was\u201d on purpose to avoid pointing fingers at the particular child who flushed an entire roll of toilet paper and clogged the toilet to overflowing.\n\nSometimes identity doesn't matter. "There was a pine cone jammed in the gutter." No need to blame the squirrel or the wind when the focus of a scene is the pine cone itself.\n\nAs you can see, this construction comes in handy from time to time. But in general, avoid using it\u2014especially because it can so easily be rearranged to create a more engaging alternative.\n>> Alternatives to \u201cThere was\u201d\nI can rearrange the example and play with variations.\n\n"There was a jogger who outran a terrier that nipped at her heels" can quite simply become,\xa0\u201cA jogger outran a terrier that nipped at her heels.\u201d\n\nLaunching with "A jogger" instead of \u201cThere was\u201d animates the scene compared with the original, which feels like a bystander is pointing over \u201cthere\u201d or a witness is describing what she saw (\u201cThe...