Author: Randy C. Dockens & Robert Irvin
Publication Date: April 4, 2024
Pages: 250
Genre:Writing Skill Reference/Authorship/Fiction Writing Skill Reference
The authors of this book (one a writer/author; one an editor) explain what they wished they had known when they began their writing journeys. This book will speed up your writing proficiency and aid your goal of being published with excellent material your readers will enjoy.
Why this book on writing? There are two things we learned the hard way and want you to gather the easy way. One, rules are made to be broken—but you want to break them only with intentional purpose. And two, you, not the rules, are what make your stories, your writing, unique from all others.
We cover various writing techniques and how to make your writing something readers will keep enjoying, but we also help you with the artistic side of writing, meaning what’s inside you, your writing technique, and your brand.
This easy-to-enjoy manual is written in a unique alphabetical style, filled with tips and extra-information boxes at the end of each chapter, and has a number of helpful additions following the final chapter.
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Chapter One:
All verbs, as every English teacher we had in school drilled into us, are action words. That is true.
But not all verbs are created equal. And that also is true.
So let’s start, as a very famous old song once said, at a very good place to start: the beginning. And great stories start with great action. And that means verbs.
Think of verbs as the engine of strong writing. No compelling story is told without action, and thus without verbs. From one of my (Bob’s) favorite books, The Day Christ Died, by Jim Bishop, I pulled just one paragraph. It’s not a pretty picture in the mind’s eye—this is when Jesus is under arrest by Roman guards shortly before going to Pilate—but notice the action words.
Someone in the group had a more amusing idea. He got a cloth and blindfolded Jesus. The guards danced around him, cuffing his face and simpering: ‘Act the prophet, please. Who is it that struck you?’”1
The first two sentences are setup for the scene. (The verbs are usual ones to get the paragraph moving: had, got, blindfolded.) But look at the next sentence: it teems with writing that captures the mind: danced, cuffing, simpering. What if Bishop had chosen, say, the verbs moved, hitting, and asking? (Quick exercise: replace Bishop’s three verbs with the latter three. Done that way, the sentence then isn’t even one-tenth as impactful.)
As this simple paragraph illustrates, all verbs are far from equal. Spend some time with your action words, and it will help drive your writing. But let’s explore more.
Not only are verbs quite different, the terminology can be confusing. Ever hear the terms “strong verb” and “weak verb”? Even those tags can be confusing, and not everyone means the same thing when they use these terms. Let’s keep digging.
Weak verb is a term meaning the root of the verb doesn’t change when you go from present tense to past tense to its participle form. Typically, all that happens is an -ed or -t ending is added. Here are a few examples (present – past – participle forms):
Walk – walked – walked
Look – looked – looked
Sleep – slept – slept
Strong verb, on the other hand, is a terminology meaning the root of the verb does undergo a transformation when its root is changed to its present, past, or participle forms. A few examples:
Run – ran – run
Bring – brought – brought
Swim – swam – swum
One takeaway here is the writer needs to understand that different verbs have different forms when their tenses change. After all, you want your writing to have strong grammar. Believe us, even readers who say they don’t judge a book by its grammar do judge a book by its grammar. They may not realize this is what they are doing, but if your sentences “read funny,” as some might say, their interest in your work will wane quickly. Only a few loose uses and you may well lose them.
So how can you tell which classification the verb is in? Unfortunately, you just have to learn them. There is no particular rhyme or reason. It just is, as they say. Therefore, if you don’t know, then look it up. That’s the best advice.
For writers, though, when one says “use a strong verb,” they are likely meaning to use a more appropriate verb, or one that conveys what you are really meaning, or one that brings forth the strongest action. Here are a few tips that, hopefully, you’ll find helpful.
Adverbs
First, even if you have a strong feel for what an adverb is, let’s define it. You can find a more complete definition at Merriam-Webster.com. The heart of an adverb is a word that modifies (expands on, explains further) a verb, adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or even a sentence. But let’s stay focused on verbs and modifying verbs here.
If you’ve used an adverb, see if you can think of a verb that conveys what you mean without the adverb. For example:
Harriet closed the door angrily.
Probably not a sentence one would normally write, but let’s make the point more vividly here. So you can probably quickly think of a verb that coveys this meaning without having to use an adverb at all. Here’s a somewhat obvious one:
Harriet slammed the door.
The verbs closed and slammed would both be considered weak verbs, by definition, but clearly slammed is a verb that conveys a door being closed in an aggressive manner and most typically in anger. This would, then, be considered a better verb to use. Some might say a stronger verb (and you could make that argument easily), not because of the definition that we just gave, but because slammed conveys the action you are meaning much better than does closed.
Another way to look at this is whether you must mentally ask yourself, as a reader, the how or why behind the word used. How did they close the door? Did they gently close the door, slam the door, or just close it in a normal fashion? Why did they close the door: to prevent someone from hearing them, because they were mad or angry, or it was just a normal everyday thing to do? If your verb itself doesn’t convey this, then think of a more appropriate verb to use that conveys what you’re really intending.
You may sometimes read to never use adverbs, but don’t get caught up in this trap. I (Randy) did in the beginning. Here’s a tip: when you read a blog from someone talking about writing and they use the word never, substitute never overuse in that spot instead. All forms of speech are needed to have strong prose and dialogue. However, as a writer, you need to master when to use each one. Granted, adverbs are to be used sparingly since there is typically a better or more appropriate verb you can use to convey the action (making use of the adverb unnecessary). So, the better advice, I think, is to use the verb that best conveys what you want the reader to take away from your writing. And make it a sentence in which the reader can get in the moment with you and not have to think about what you are saying, but be with you in what you are saying. You want your reader inside your story, seeing and feeling everything you are writing. You don’t want them above the story, seeing it from a distance and having to analyze sentence structure to understand what you are trying to say.
Here is an example where an adverb is needed to convey what you really want to tell a reader:
Amanda sat quite still, daring not to breathe as the footsteps came closer, their sound hauntingly familiar.
Now one can get rid of the word hauntingly and change the sentence structure to avoid it. Yet most would find the sentence below doesn’t convey the same tone and feel:
Amanda sat quite still, daring not to breathe as the footsteps came closer, their sound haunting her memory.
So, to reiterate this simple but key point, but said in a different way: be purposeful in how you use adverbs. Are you using the adverb to convey something (a tone, a scene, a feeling) that you can’t do with a verb alone? If you can find a more powerful verb that conveys the same, then use it. If not, use the adverb to get your reader immersed in your story. Use them sparingly, though. A good adverb can enhance; too many can detract.
Passive Voice
I’m sure, like we both did, you also heard from an English teacher to always use active voice and never passive voice. Despite the bad rap, there is nothing wrong with passive voice, but again, it should be used purposefully and sparingly. Typically, passive voice does not get your reader immersed in your story. Active voice does. An example:
Greg had written the story for Ruth to enjoy.
Not a bad sentence as sentences go, right? But there is no real action here. Therefore, the following sentence would typically be better:
Greg wrote the story for Ruth to enjoy.
Or, if you can get it in present tense, it is even more impactful:
Greg writes the story in the hope that Ruth will enjoy it.
It just has a fresher feel to it and is more engaging. Doesn’t it?
But judging passive voice by sentence alone does not quite do it justice. There are definitely times to use passive voice. Once again, though, with a purpose. Remember to always be purposeful in whatever you do as a writer.
Here’s a trick to the “dreaded, to be avoided” passive voice: it can be extremely effective in setting a scene. One example:
John’s travels had been torturous and taxing. He had received not a wink of sleep for three days. None of his travel companions understood the stress he had been under before he left. They were so absorbed in their own problems they had no time to consider his.
So this sets up a scene. Now, if the whole scene would be written in this manner, it would become quite boring. But this can set up an action scene. The passive voice fills the reader with knowledge, and then an active voice pulls them into the story with that knowledge. Again: be purposeful.
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More Tips and Information (Summing Up, and Perhaps a Bit More)
| From Randy, the Author Always use verbs that best paint the action you are trying to convey.Adverbs paint a mood or setting. Use them sparingly so they have maximum impact.Attempt to use active voice when possible.Avoid passive voice, when possible, except for scene-setting or to show that a large amount of time has passed between scenes. |
| From Bob, the Editor Are you using verbs as the engine of your writing? Drive your writing forward with impactful verbs.Ask yourself: does this verb feel a little flat? Try another, or another. You might find another action word works better. Actively compare.Avoid doing this all day long, however, with every verb. That’s not possible, and you need to get on with your writing. But do go after the ones you know can be improved. Usually, you’ll find them. (Or maybe a good editor can help in certain cases. Do the work on the front end, however, and your product will be better for it.) |
About the Authors:
Dr. Randy C. Dockens has a fascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degrees in both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also of creativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand without being enemies of each other.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).
Through the years, he has worked on potential medicines within several disease areas, including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to seek and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas.
He has also had his attention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.
Randy has recently retired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian, end-time prophecy, science fiction, and uniquely told Bible stories. All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to give them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that is both entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers.
He has also written some nonfiction books as well. One is to show how all humans are connected from God’s viewpoint by looking at biblical prophecy. This book shows how all scripture is connected and inclusive of everyone. In addition, he and his editor have written a book about writing. This book not only addresses the techniques of writing, but what makes writing unique to each author. It conveys not only how to better hone one’s craft of writing but also the brand an author wants to portray. This helps an author make their writing unique as well as captivating for his/her audience. A companion book to this one regarding self-editing techniques will also soon be available.
You can visit Randy’s website at www.randydockens.com. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram.
In 2005 he chose publishing and went to Standard Publishing (Cincinnati) where he worked with authors from across the nation and internationally on youth ministry materials for the former Christian-based publisher, which had a rich history serving American and Canadian churches dating to 1869. In 2011, Robert went independent. He helped develop a homeschool curriculum site for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine during a two-year period in which he worked for this trailblazing homeschool organization. He does the majority of his work with Christian Book Services. He has ghostwritten long portions of books for authors and entire books for a World War II veteran’s memoirs (written 2013-2015 at age 89-91!) and a former NFL quarterback’s story of mentoring his high school football star son.
Robert has edited virtually every type of book, from business to novels to theology to sports to memoirs to abuse survival stories, and much more. His credits include scores of books. He has spoken at or served as faculty at various writing conferences.
He enjoys family, running, the outdoors, bad golf (like many, he has the bug, which just won’t go away), a heated game of Scrabble, virtually any sport, and reading any book that even remotely interests him.
Robert has a BA from Ohio State University in Journalism. He and wife Joan have four children. Reach Bob at bobirvin642@gmail.com.
Visit him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bobjoan.irvin/ and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobirvin31/.
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