Strong Writing II: The Cellular Level

When it comes to strong writing, I don’t like to say the “small” picture. The “big” picture is the body itself. But bodies are made up of cells that each contribute something to the whole. The body overall may tolerate some cells’ weaknesses, but if enough go south, the body is in trouble. How can you maintain strong writing on a cellular level?
Writing Tip for Today: The foundation of strong writing is active verbs. The trouble with “to be” verbs and words ending with “ing” is that they feel static or distant, general and ordinary. This sounds elementary, but check over your work for sentences with some form of the verb “to be.” Is, are, was, and were can be useful tools, but overreliance on them (especially when paired with a gerund, or “ing” word, such as, “She was watching.”) leads to flabby prose. If you see too many “to be” verbs, gerunds or other general words (It, There, very, little, etc), you can often strengthen your writing by switching out “was”words for specific active verbs, and trading “was ing” words for the simple past tense. EX: She was watching. She watched. Try this and see how much livelier, direct and concise the new version is. Your prose may feel as if it has a new lease on life.
Today at 7EST (that’s 4PM PDT) I’ll be the featured guest at The Writer’s Chatroom. If you have a writing-related question or just want to say hi, please drop in. You don’t have to sign up or get a password, just pick an online name and come on in.

About Linda S. Clare

I'm an author, speaker, writing coach and mentor. I teach both fiction and nonfiction writing at Lane Community College and in the doctoral program as expert writing advisor for George Fox University. I love helping writers improve their craft and I'm both an avid reader and writer of stories about those with wounded hearts.

3 comments on “Strong Writing II: The Cellular Level

  1. Great tip and example to ‘show’ the craft of writing ~ that flows from the writer’s art of storytelling.

    Thanks for your forthcoming guidance at Writer’s Chat this evening ~ Write On!

  2. Interesting metaphor- action verb as a cell in the body of the story.

    As a biologist, I see the cell as an incredible, complex structure. The nucleus contains DNA- the plot outline. Within the cell membrane exist Golgi bodies- the verbs.

    They create the energy, passion, and drive to make the plot/DNA into a protein. DNA codes for specific amino acids (words) strung together to make a protein/ sentence.

    Groups of cells with a specific purpose combine to form an organ/ paragraph. Organs work together to create systems/ chapters.

    Endocrine system, musculoskeletal system, and nervous system all combine to create a body- the manuscript.

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