To Be or Not to Be, That is the
Question….
By Beth Ann Erickson,
FilbertPublishing.com
In the French
language, the verb “Etre” means “To Be.”
In English, we just say “is.”
He is. She is. He
was. She was. He will
be. She will be. It will
be.
Sounds fine, huh?
Well, not really.
We’re writers. And we’re better than
that. Anything that “is” can be described
better. For example, how can we write, “The
car is hot,” better?
How’s this… “The interior of the Chevy burned like a
furnace.”
No “etre” in that
sentence. The verb, “felt” is stronger than
“is.”
Here’s another one… “That dog is loud.”
How would you change it? Here’s an idea,
“The Rotweiler’s wail pierced the subway terminal like a bullet
from a .22 pistol.”
See how the verb “pierced” gives you a far more vivid
picture than the verb “is?”
Look at something you’ve written. Find
any “etres?” If you do, see if you can
rearrange the sentence to include a stronger verb.
Now start writing. Describe what you’re
seeing and feeling at this moment. Avoid any
“etre” verbs whenever you can.
Beth Ann Erickson is Queen Bee of Filbert Publishing
and the only writing ezine that'll make your writing sparkle,
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