the buzz on was
According to writers’ forums, many authors struggle with overuse of the word “was”. One poster all but declared war on the unfortunate verb. My response WAS:
I think that advice is meant as a gentle reminder not to fall back on a lazy repetition of the "[Subject] was [adjective]", "[Subject] was [verb-ing]" and "[Subject] was [at location]" constructions.
In each case it’s not was, per se, that's the problem. It’s that this infomation can be imparted using sentences crafted in much more intriguing and variable ways.
Calvin was at the top of the sledding hill. Calvin stared past his sled, down the hill and into the scratchy bushes.
Calvin was plotting something. Calvin struggled to keep a sneaky look from contaminating his entire face.
Susie was Calvin’s nemesis. Susie and Calvin got along about as well as a pair of weasels tied back to back with a dirty shoelace.