Author: Damon Suede
Category: LGBT
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Check out Verbalize for more in-depth information about this technique and its potential in characterization and dramatization.
Bottom line: Strong verb, strong character.
With those juicy transitives thrumming under the hood, characters need to direct their actions at something. Filmed entertainment often solves this action problem with a MacGuffin…a concrete target of pursuit and tension, visible onscreen, that gives characters something clear to struggle over. Because fiction is more innately subjective and internal, it benefits from giving characters subtle, complex story goals that are challenging, significant, relatable. This focuses a character upon an objective, like a mountain that needs climbing.
A character pursues that objective via their action with relentless focus. By choosing potent, positive actions for characters, an author keeps the story (and its writing) energized and clear. The character’s action and objective persist for the length of the story, which creates coherence in their depiction.
Of course, a character cannot simply do one thing without variation for the course of the book, and so that action gives rise to strategically varied tactics specific to scenes. Though the character’s action lasts the entire story, a new tactic—derived as synonyms of that action—appears in each scene like rungs on the action ladder.
Tactics are in effect re-actions, in which small shifts reveal internal complexity and narrative reversals, but since they are synonymous, the character coheres. Audiences experience a range of cohesive behavior, which allows them to extrapolate emotions and psychology.
Since tactics also use transitive verbs, they too require a target for their energy. Objects offer a character a distinct goal for each scene, like a problem that needs solving now.
Just as objectives are the character’s story goal pursued via the action, the objects are a character’s scene goals pursued by individual tactics in different contexts. In the same way, just as an action breaks down into tactics, the objective breaks down into specific, external, and dynamic objects that hold the energy of the scene like a battery.
Each new story beat requires a shift in tactic (and object) as the character re-acts to events and tries to pursue their overall story goal (objective). Taken together the tactics represent the character’s overall action during the story.
Once you know your character’s tactics, you can use them to craft a comprehensive character arc rising to the most dramatic tactic via significant moments, using character to shape plot and plot to explore character. Further, certain actions and tactics suggest genres, subgenres, and tropes because they convey categories of emotion.
Verbs shape vibe.
Character and plot are only two ways of understanding story, plot as external cause and effect; character as internal cause and effect. Transformation and escalation don’t happen in straight lines, so shifting tactical directions will produce powerful results in any genre story. And each story will resolve conflict and tension as it escalates to an emotionally satisfying ending.
Verbalization is what most writers do unconsciously when they write a story. Exploring the process consciously simplifies the writing process and enhances the final product.
So… to break the process of verbalization down completely: Writers and readers in search of meaning pay attention via alignment to characters with significance that suggests patterns created by contrast that causes friction and escalation during events in order to generate energy expressed through a void that inspires action in pursuit of an objective through relationships that require tactics to handle objects in an arc varying directions to maximize transformation to reach the kind of emotional experience fans crave.
“The changing wisdom of successive generations discards ideas, questions facts, demolishes theories. But the artist appeals to that part of our being which is not dependent on wisdom: to that in us which is a gift and not an acquisition—and, therefore, more permanently enduring.”
Joseph Conrad3
Usage
Before I unleash a torrent of sexy verbs, a few words about the organization of this book and why verbalization works so well. Everything that follows draws upon a few basic craft precepts:
• Every character has a core action in pursuit of their story goal (aka objective).
• Every action manifests as related tactics to achieve scene goals (aka objects).
• Because characters direct their actions and tactics at object(ive)s, those actions and tactics will always be transitive (active) verbs.
• Every character’s action and tactics affect every other character’s action and tactics via interactions.
• The stronger the relationship, the more oppositional (antonymic) the actions of the characters, the more powerful the effect on each other.
When verbalizing a story, the goal is to find the clearest, simplest expression of that character’s energy so they can do what matters in a story. Every other component of that character’s traits and identity will align with that essential action.
Verbs provide all the energy in writing. Actions are verbs. Tactics are verbs. Effective actions and tactics share transitivity, impact, and emotional legibility.
Focusing on the character’s actions from the start ensures they’re memorable and meaningful. The easiest way to identify that action is to identify the character’s central void—the persistent injury/need/lack/scar of the past that impedes their present and future happiness. Invariably, a character’s action springs from that void as a credible solution.
Every character wants to be happy, and their action reveals their innate approach. Compile a range of related verbs your character would consider a go-to solution in every situation and see which ones feel right. Each verb will subtly shift the portrayal, and each opens up a new set of dramatic possibilities.
Depending on how well you know your characters, you may start out with a solid grasp of what they do and why they do it at any moment. No one else knows this imaginary person as well as you do. As you bring them to life, their actions and tactics will portray them faithfully or falsely…and only you can judge how close you came. Give yourself permission to make bold choices boldly and also to nail your failures with unsentimental precision.
However well you know your cast, whatever your process for spinning a yarn, look for actions that are fun and physical, that direct energy outward so characters impact their community and environment.
Context changes the nuances of a verb, and when verbalizing a story, that goes triple. Be sure you know how the action or tactic operates and the specific object(ive) receiving the verb’s action. If you cannot connect the dots, your audience won’t.
The best actions and tactics operate internally and externally, with a tangible physical effect outside of the character as well as a mental resonance and an emotional impact that require no explanation to the reader. When verbalizing, keep an eye on all three levels:
• PHYSICAL: does the action/tactic direct energy outside of the character into clear, tangible goals that elicit emotional engagement? (e.g. a bully doesn’t “gripe,” but rather torments bystanders, a socialite doesn’t “sparkle,” but rather dazzles admirers.)
• MENTAL: does the action/tactic create clear, dynamic, dramatic images in the mind’s eye through interesting sound and sense? (e.g. not “touch” but massage, not “harm” but detonate, not “admire” but lionize)
• EMOTIONAL: does the action/tactic offer variation and intensity evincing the full spectrum of your character’s behavior and nature? (e.g. a “disguise” character can impersonate and embellish and camouflage, a “stall” character can clog or divert or short-circuit)
Every other detail of your character’s path through the story will align with that central action, so choose actions that afford maximum emotional significance and congruity. You want to enjoy the writing and you need your audience to enjoy the reading. Stack the deck in everyone’s favor with clear verbs that are physical and fun, internal and external, visceral an
d vital.
Think laterally, not literally.
You can use verbalization to build out the cast for your book (see bonus exercise). As you begin to verbalize secondary characters, refer to the antonyms of your main character’s action. Those will give the rest of your cast additional friction and chemistry right out of the gate because their actions and tactics will clash by default. A larger topic for another book, but worth mentioning. Give yourself permission to have fun with that verbiage.
Additionally, if you want to splash around in verbalization with your colleagues, the @LiveWireGuides twitter account features a #DailyVerb hashtag as well as article links, updates, and more.
Active language is active language. While this thesaurus is primarily intended for verbalizing your characters and scenes, it can just as easily provide active, dynamic language for the literal writing at any stage of your project as well.
Planning?
Activate includes thousands of potential character behaviors, along with oppositional actions/reactions that will generate instant context and drama. If you already have a strong sense of your character’s essential vibe and voice, plunge right into the alphabetical listing in search of one central action that defines everything they do on the page. At the same time, consider any secondary verb candidates as likely tactics that might not define the character but might deepen resonance and power a scene effectively.
Plug into the source! Rooting your project in language frees your voice and sidesteps genre clichés. By starting with actions, rather than superficial traits and quirks, everything about your character will align in a way that produces deep resonance and empathy within readers. Intriguing or challenging words inspire bold creative choices and offer a solid starting point for the actual task of filling those pages.
If you don’t have a particular character in mind and need to start a story in a specific genre/subgenre, flip to the genre sections and make a list of verbs that resonate. What actions and tactics would be fun to write? What verbs suggest tropes you’d like to tackle? What combinations of verbs would produce meaningful friction and juicy emotion?
Maybe you just have to kick off a project, any project, but nothing has grabbed hold of you. If you’re operating without any clear sense of character or the world you’re writing, take a look at the directional grouping for sets of action/tactics that might lead you to a story idea. Let those verbs take you somewhere fascinating.
Exploring?
Activate sorts verbs alphabetically, generically, and directionally so you can approach your initial project planning from many angles so that it anchors the process in the power of words. If you’re still trying to get a firm handle on the story and its characters, this book helps anyone splash around in the connotations and implications of the various possibilities of verbalization, whether you’re a plotter or pantser, a newbie or an old hand.
When testing out a verb as an overarching character action, make sure you weigh the full array of meanings with an eye toward the possible tactics in individual scenes. Unpack the nuances, paradoxes, and contradictions in that verb’s etymology. What is its origin, history, and evolution? Flag resonances, surprises, or significant details that feel germane to the character.
Shades of meaning play an outsized role in fiction. Associations, inference, and nuance play a large part in the emotional experience of the reader, so even a slight variation of verbalization can alter a character or a scene dramatically. Even without knowing the precise verbs in play, an audience will discern the pattern at work under the hood because that’s how brains work: we extrapolate significance from the available info and discernible patterns. Because you’re using words the audience knows, closure is instinctive, and the coherence inevitable. If you choose your words carefully, the character feels real.
Single out the most fascinating, specific action for that character, then round it out with an appealing range of secondary tactics to charge their scenes along the way. You already know some of them: most of your discarded actions will serve as perfect tactics. Think of tactics as rungs on the action ladder: as they accumulate, the character climbs toward their objective—one confrontation, one discovery, one object at a time.
Synonyms make a great starting point, especially with verbs that reveal a range of meanings and interpretations (e.g., Empress Livia’s action to poison means “to murder” but also “to pollute,” “to corrupt,” and “to nullify.”). To deepen characters, consider using synonyms of those synonyms to reveal more radical tactical possibilities. Tactics should offer further resonant variations to change the story’s tune while honoring the melody. They’ll help you as a writer, and the resultant scenes will appeal mightily to the reader.
Strong verbs will guarantee the writing and the reading stay emotional, evocative, and enjoyable.
Drafting?
Activate is chockablock with story spurs and character prompts. If you’re hunkered down cranking out your pages and trying to keep the flow, you can use this book to lubricate the process.
Use these listings to nail down and upgrade the actions for the story and the tactics in the scenes. Especially in the early phases of committing words to paper, choosing potent, oppositional language will help activate a scene for all the participants, minimizing the need for exposition and qualification. Likewise, powerful verbs will keep that character in sharp focus so that they earn the attention they deserve.
When it comes to action and tactics, any choice is better than no choice. Get in the habit of replacing weaker options with stronger choices. Happily, the moment you write a beat, the scene will let you know if the tactics work and the story will let you know if the action does its job credibly.
When verbalizing your cast, keep those interdependent actions and tactics in mind: what seemed central may gradually reveal itself to be tactical as the character moves from identity to essence (as Michael Hague4 puts it) over the story’s course.
Whether for pantsers who prefer to discover character by improvising on the page or plotters who may structure events without a clear sense of intention, the initial knowledge of a character’s capacities can give way to a deeper and more complex swath of possibilities. The action that seemed fundamental may turn out to be only a successful tactic to be supplanted by a more relevant, resonant option.
Write is a verb! By definition verbs make stuff, take stuff, break stuff, fake stuff. Learn to enjoy the depth and drama intrinsic to language. Let those actions and tactics drive your story as well as the process of putting it on the page for the first time.
Revising?
Activate offers a vast range of options that can enrich the language in your project during the editorial process. If the draft is done and your character feels passive, vague, or forgettable, look for an action or tactic upgrade that will amplify a pivotal beat in the story. If the plot suffers from logic leaps or inexplicable behavior, look to the tactics deployed in play during the problematic scenes to hone the emotional impact.
When facing a completed but imperfect manuscript, verbs can steer choices, solutions, and overhauls. Just eyeballing the language of a wonky chapter, scene, or section can diagnose the deficits. Refining, amplifying, and specifying character behavior has exponential impact on every element of storytelling. By starting at the root—the language of the story—you can pinpoint trouble spots with ruthless specificity. Words work.
Allow those actions and tactics to shift and reflect your knowledge of the story. If you notice initial “false” actions only express a certain mode or period of the character’s behavior, dig deeper for the core action that connects all of the tactics.
Keep going back to pinpoint the precise action that expresses the character’s energy as it flows through the story. Look for ways to escalate and transform their tactics (aka re-actions) in each scene for maximum emotional impact.
Remember: you’re the writer, but outside perspectives can save your bacon. Listen to editors, betas, and trusted colleagues who ca
ll your bluff. Whether they’re right or wrong, you’ll only know if you pay attention to them and to the iffy writing that gives them pause. There’s an old Yiddish proverb: if one person says you’re drunk, have another, but when three people tell you you’re drunk, go lie down.
If readers say a scene isn’t working, you don’t need to obey their suggestions blindly, but you should try to locate and solve the problem that gave them pause. When someone tells you there’s a problem, nine times out of ten they’re right. When they tell you how to solve it, nine times out of ten they’re wrong. Besides, if they solve the problem, then they’re writing the book. Learn to listen and also to clean up your own messes.
By clarifying and strengthening your language, you can transform your characters, their stories, and ultimately your career as a genre author.
Stretch yourself! Be wary of the impulse to stick with safe or expected options. Repeating the same actions and tactics is how lazy authors end up regurgitating the same book ad nauseam. Even the most fascinating, popular actions have traps built into them. And as an artist, you’re either growing or you’re dying.
As you verbalize your stories, you’ll learn to explore the power and possibility buried in all these verbs, their motion and emotion, their scope and secrets. Mindbending treasure, infinite joy, and divine fire hide inside each one.
“Using action verbs instead of adjectives is a way of approaching the emotional center of a scene in a way that is experiential and playable rather than descriptive and result-oriented. What we do affects our feelings and can create feeling.”
Judith Weston, director5
Part I: General