When I write, I think about verbs. The verb in each sentence is where the action plays out, and when you are fighting to keep your reader glued to your novel or story, you must have amazing verbs. Great writers use great verbs. I often wondered if just with a list of verbs chosen by an author from an individual paragraph, you could determine the author. I picked some random authors I had on my bookshelf, and just listed all the verbs that appear in a random paragraph of their work. See if you can match each list of verbs with the correct author.

Authors: Barbara Kingsolver, Stieg Larsson (translation), Stephenie Meyer, James Rollins, Mark Twain, Sadie Smith, Philip Pullman, J.R.R. Tolkien

Author #1 (Watched, Saw, Leaping, Scampering, Saw, Following, Carrying, Was, Saw, Snapped, Stopped, Leaped, Saw, Were)

Notice that many of the verbs are leaping, following, carrying and the repetition of the verb saw.

Author #2 (Was, Striking, Can, Was, Shot, Was, Saw, Were, Had, Was, Had, Was, Spotted, Spotted, Spotted, Push, See, Had, Picked, Recognized, Were)

This author kept simple verbs, but used three verbs of spotted to draw attention to these three sentences, but notice it was generic in the variation of verbs.

Author #3 (Woke, Astonished, Went, Shaking, Beaming, Smiling, Congratulating, Saying, Destined, Went, Acting, Ran, See, Flock, Began, Verify, Write, Dashing, Applied, Delivered, Loafing, Smirking, Rubbed, Enlarged, Hoped, Believed, Spread)

This author compared to #2 was grand in the wide range of verbs.

Author #4 (Acquired, Expected, Was, Summing, Stating, Made, Becoming, Viewed, Popping, Ran, Gave, Interviewed, Was)

This author used more direct verbs, no repeating or complex play, a very formal style.

Author #5 (Unwrapped, Traveled, Nestled, Appeared, Dressed, Cradled, Played, Played, Stepped, Said, Smiled, Began, Stood, Turned, Dancing, Moves, Stood, Swaying, Began, Itching, Held, Moved, Moved, Moved, Shuffling, Looking, Scratching)

Just a list of verbs by this author gives you a good sense of what is happening in the story, the awkwardness of a dance.

Author #6 (Climbed, Steaming, Toweled, Hung, Left, Stood, Was, Was, Turned, Study, Reminded, Was)

A much more simple writing style, nothing repeated except was, keeping it simple.

Author #7 (Speak, Was, Seen, Seen, Made, Knew, Was, Had, Was, Lost, Was, Whispered, Gave, Crumpled, Felt, Was, Groaned, Irritated, Wanted, Was)

This author tended to used a lot of was, and very direct simple verbs.

Author #8 (Shut, Held, Came, Hung, Piled, Grew, Advanced, Encumbered, Avoided, Turned, Began, Pour, Were, Was, Rose, Forced, Seemed, Beginning, Went)

A good diversity of verbs, focused on the subject matter.

O.K. think you know who wrote each group of verbs?

Here is the key:

Author # 1 = Philip Pullman

Author # 2 = Sadie Smith

Author # 3 = Mark Twain

Author # 4 = Stieg Larsson (translation)

Author # 5 = Barbara Kingsolver

Author # 6 = James Rollins

Author # 7 = Stephenie Meyer

Author # 8 = J.R.R. Tolkien

I hope that I convinced you of the power that verbs have over a sentence. You can make a great deal of stylistic changes to your writing if you focus just on the verbs. Higher quality writers use more diverse verb choices and pattern their verbs in unusual ways. Verbs keep the reader reading.