Strengthen Your Writing by Fixing One Thing: Your Verbs

Every writer hits a phase where the words come out technically correct but emotionally flat. The sentences parse fine. The grammar is clean. But when you read it back, it feels like a report instead of writing that actually moves someone. If that describes your current output, the fix is probably simpler than you think: you need to work on your verbs.

Verbs Do the Heavy Lifting

Most writing advice focuses on cutting adjectives and adverbs. That’s fine advice, but it treats the symptom instead of the cause. Flat writing usually isn’t caused by too many modifiers — it’s caused by weak verbs that need modifiers to do their job.

Compare: “She walked quickly across the room” versus “She darted across the room.” Same meaning, but the second version is tighter, more visual, and more energetic. The verb “darted” carries the speed information that “walked quickly” needs two words to convey. And it does something “walked quickly” can’t — it implies urgency, nervousness, or purpose. You get connotation for free.

This works in every genre. In a business email: “We need to quickly address this issue” versus “We need to tackle this issue.” In a novel: “He looked angrily at her” versus “He glared at her.” In journalism: “The stock price went down rapidly” versus “The stock price plummeted.” Every time you replace a weak verb plus modifier with a strong verb, your writing gets leaner and more vivid.

The “Was” Audit

Open your current draft and search for every instance of “was,” “were,” “is,” and “are.” Not all of them need replacing — sometimes a simple “to be” verb is the right choice. But many of them are hiding opportunities for better verbs.

“The meeting was boring” becomes “The meeting dragged.” “The garden was beautiful in spring” becomes “The garden bloomed in spring.” “He was afraid of the dark” becomes “He dreaded the dark.” Each revision adds motion and specificity where the original was static and vague.

This audit takes fifteen minutes on a short piece and will teach you more about your own writing habits than any workshop or craft book. Most writers discover that 30-40% of their “to be” verbs can be replaced with something stronger.

Physical Verbs for Abstract Ideas

One technique that separates published writers from everyone else is using physical, concrete verbs to describe abstract concepts. Instead of “The economy is struggling,” try “The economy is limping.” Instead of “Her confidence was growing,” try “Her confidence swelled.” Instead of “The deadline is approaching,” try “The deadline looms.”

Physical verbs activate the reader’s sensory imagination. When you read “limping,” your brain briefly fires the same neural patterns as if you were watching someone limp. This isn’t metaphor for metaphor’s sake — it’s a practical tool that makes abstract ideas land harder because the reader physically feels them at a subconscious level.

Building Your Verb Vocabulary

You don’t need a thesaurus to improve your verbs (and please don’t use one — thesaurus-driven writing sounds like thesaurus-driven writing). Instead, start paying attention to verbs when you read. When a sentence hits you with unexpected force, look at the verb. Chances are it’s doing something interesting.

Keep a running list of verbs you encounter in your reading that feel fresh or precise. Not exotic words — just verbs that do more work than the obvious choice. Words like “shouldered” instead of “carried,” “stammered” instead of “said nervously,” “eroded” instead of “slowly decreased.” Over time, these words migrate from your list into your natural vocabulary.

The Rule of the First Verb

Here’s a practical exercise. In every paragraph you write this week, make the first verb the strongest one. This forces you to front-load energy into your paragraphs, which pulls readers forward through the text. If your paragraph opens with “There is a growing concern about…” rewrite it with the verb first: “Concern is mounting about…” or better yet, restructure entirely: “Analysts warn that…”

Strong verbs won’t fix structural problems in your writing. They won’t save a weak argument or an unclear narrative. But they will make everything you write feel more alive, more confident, and more worth reading. And improving your verb game costs nothing except attention.