To-be or not to-be....definitely NOT!!

[Emurelda]

As my literary endeavors progresses through to the editing stages the 'was/is/am/are' etc are first up for the elimination round!

I found it extremely difficult to write the above sentence without using a 'to-be' derivative!! And I still failed!

I found an article to read on the subject...appreciate anymore tips if there are (argh!) any..

"How to Eliminate To-be verbs in writing"

 

[Alistair Roberts]

I haven't read all of it, - but now I have! I take issue with that article, it just doesn't feel right (or write) to me. For example, this example isn't good in my opinion. >
2. Rearrange-Start the sentence differently to see if this helps eliminate a “to-be” verb. For example, instead of “The monster was in the dark tunnel creeping,” rearrange as “Down the dark tunnel crept the monster.”

Actually, I'd have re-written that as "The monster was creeping down the dark tunnel." Their suggestion really to me is clumsy, but then I'm no expert. Example 4 after that does make sense to me. But when dealing with speech, it has to be 'normal' and plausible. Take it with a good grain of salt I'd say.

 

[Emurelda]

...yes or The monster crept down the dark tunnel?

 

[Jennifer Stone]

Perhaps 'Through the dark alley, crept the monster.'

 

[Carol Rose]

As with everything in writing rules, moderation is the key.

 

[tabby3]

...yes or The monster crept down the dark tunnel?

I'm in the "crept" camp.

 

[AgentPete]

"Down the dark tunnel..." is more dramatic, but also rather archaic.

Whereas "The monster crept... " is more prosaic.

Totally depends on the effect you're after.