To walk or?
Ever heard the term "generic verb?" I confess I didn't until I received a list of things to look for in my newly contracted novel. My publisher doesn't like these generic verbs, and I'm going to wholeheartedly agree.
So what is a generic verb? Lets talk the word "walk." Sure you can say your hero walked across the room toward the heroine, but is it very effective? Does it give the reader any sense of what's really going on, any emotion? No. It doesn't.
But what if I say "he stomped across the room?"
The reader is immediately clued in to an emotion – people don't just "stomp" for no reason.
Similar words would be trudged, lumbered, plodded – all say something about his feelings or his thoughts. There is nothing generic about a man trudging across the street.
Adding just the right word can also change the tone. After all, if someone is skipping into the room or down the street – you probably wouldn't think they were angry, right? A bounce in their step adds lightness to the scene, while a stalk gives a more determined, deep in thought feeling.
Your challenge today is find those nasy "generic" verbs and replace them with something more meaningful to your story, your scene and your character.
Good luck!
To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on.
~Chaucer, A Knight's Tale
Bethanne(Quote) (Reply)
Great post!
Never thought about calling those "enh" verbs "generic".
But I like making words work. We've got so many of them–why rely on a few when there's a whole passel to play with? It's like having a paintbox full of colors and only using the primaries. (That's red, yellow and blue, for the non-artsy out there.)
Be a dynamic writer!
Cyn(Quote) (Reply)