Strong Verbs

I love working with other writers and sharing lessons I've learned over the years. Stephen King is one of many authors and mentors who advocate for strong verbs in lieu of adverbs. To explain what I mean, the simplest example is walked quickly. In my opinion, and I'm sure I'm not alone, the phrase walked quickly should never be used. Instead, select a stronger verb. For example, dashed. I would push further and say any time you can use a stronger verb for walked, you should. Here's a non-exhaustive list of alternatives: strode, stomped, marched, shuffled, trudged, tiptoed, strolled, sauntered, ambled, strutted, swaggered, bounded, stormed, darted, crept, slunk, staggered, tottered, lumbered, loped, bolted, dashed, sprinted, meandered, wandered, paced, scurried, scuttled, skipped, trotted. Notice how each one paints a richer picture of the action and offers us emotional depth we don't get from walked.

In a similar vain as walked is the verb went. These are frequently interchangeable and I always consider stronger verbs to replace either. Other weak verbs to look for include: got, looked/saw, did, put, made.

Replacing these weaklings can add precision, tone, and emotional weight to writing.