Vivid Verbs: What They Are and How You Can Use Them
Vivid verbs are essential in demonstrating what’s happening to your characters, both physically and mentally in your story. In my last blog post, I explained the importance of “show, don’t tell” and how strong and descriptive language immerses your audience into your story's settings, plots, and characters.
What Are Vivid Verbs, and Why Are They Important?
So, what is a vivid verb? Vivid verbs are descriptive verbs that will help you create a sense of interest and excitement in your writing.
Descriptive language puts your readers into the character’s shoes. Choosing powerful verbs in your writing sets the tone for how relatable and exciting your story can be. Adding one or two vivid verbs to your sentence helps your readers visualize your character's actions and thoughts.
When you’re crafting a sentence, don’t passively tell your story. Be intentional, use “show, don’t tell,” and use vivid verbs where they make sense in your story
If you aren’t already, follow my Instagram or TikTok to see my video series on different vivid verbs you can use for common actions!
Paint a Picture in Your Reader's Mind
As I mentioned before, vivid verbs are essential to writers because they clearly communicate your character's thoughts and actions.
Read these two sentences:
1. Jenna was angry.
2. Jenna stomped her feet and rolled her eyes.
Which sentence is better? Which one paints a vivid picture in your mind?
You don’t want to make your readers work at imagining what you’re trying to convey in your sentences. You want to be clear and concise. Vivid verbs like stomped or rolled give you a better idea of Jenna’s actions. Show that she’s angry. When you use passive verbs like was, your readers will probably be less engaged. Your readers want you to show them what’s going on in your story, rather than just telling them. To learn more about the golden writing rule of show, don’t tell, check out my recent blog post here.
Here’s another example:
1. Randy was hungry.
2. Randy snatched up the last sandwich, scarfing it down in seconds.
Which sentence do you think is better?
Definitely Sentence 2! With vivid verbs, like snatched, you can imagine exactly how Randy was feeling AND what he was doing. Describing how an emotion, like hunger or anger, affects your character shows your reader more than if you just state your character’s emotion. Writing is a craft, and choosing your words carefully and intentionally when you write will be the best practice that you implement into your writing process—I guarantee it!
Here is a quick list of vivid verbs you can use for these common actions, and don’t forget to follow me on IG or TikTok @thepoetscorner_ for more:
1. Walked
a. Strolled
b. Wandered
c. Moseyed
d. Sauntered
e. Paced
f. Trudged
g. Pranced
h. Shuffled
i. Stumbled
j. Trotted
k. Waddled
2. Said
3. Left
4. Held
5. Saw/Watched
6. Took
7. Went (Quickly)
8. Went (Slowly)
9. Laughed
10. Heard
11. Jumped
12. Write
13. Cried
14. Mocked
15. Ate
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