Invent Your Own Verbs

For More Powerful Writing

I was listening to a radio show this week, when I heard Tom Friedman, an award-winning journalist for the New York Times, speaking about the situation in Iraq. He stated that the Bush administration should promise to "midwife" the developing government in Iraq until it gained strength. I was mesmerized. Not by the political talk; it was the verb use that impressed me. Midwife as a verb—how powerful! It was a perfect example of creating a powerful verb from a noun. You can make your own writing more interesting and powerful by turning nouns into verbs. If done well, it will transform your writing.