Write about people doing things, not about us and our stuff
Why write in verbs? | |
 | Don’t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns Action words streamline syllables Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read. |
Write in verbs in headlines, lists | |
 | How to write catchy news headlines Remember, the verb is the story A story is a verb, not a noun: Something should be happening here. Use dynamic verbs in press release headlines. |
Other ways to write in verbs | |
 | Write about people doing things To cut your syllable count, make subjects characters Just do it: Take these tips for making your message active from the Little Red Schoolhouse. |
 | Stop it with the ing-ing headlines (Examples!) Present participle heads may be worse than labels ‘If I see upcoming in the paper again, I will be downcoming, and someone will be outgoing,’ counseled Wall Street Journal editor Barney Kilgore. Heed his advice. |
More on verbs | |
 | Quotes on writing in dynamic verbs What writers & others say “Verbs kick-start sentences: Without them, words would simply cluster together in suspended animation.” — Constance Hale, author of Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch |