Verbs don’t only propel the plot forward. They also convey mood. They can paint a picture of what a character is like or of what a relationship is like. They can show the quality of an emotion without having to rely on a direct object, adjective, or adverb.
A few examples to illustrate:
He was sad.
He despaired.
He was in pain about the decision.
He agonized over the decision.
She was excited.
She trembled with excitement.
The couple argued about the bill.
The couple bickered about the bill.
She walked away angrily.
She strode away, her heels striking staccato on the tile floor.
I cheated with the final example by adding some other description, but I think the point carries: strong verbs better propel the story and better convey the situations and characters within that story. Finding strong verbs isn’t that hard, either. A good thesaurus can do the trick as well as an investment in vocabulary.
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