Verbing Nouns

I've been blogging about writing in a literary fashion.  This one is more about how to write in a modern literary fashion.  Once upon a time, if a writer wanted to get expressive, they'd say it with adverbs.  "Adverbs!" said the character observantly.  That style doesn't work with modern literature.

Writing with passive tenses, spicing it up with adverbs, is now considered a sign of novice writing.  Editors advocate using "said," "asked," or "yelled" then a short dialogue tag, possibly including action since dialogue tags should practically disappear.  Interesting verbs should take the place of adverbs wherever possible--outside of dialogue tags--and adverbs should all but disappear.  "Adverbs are a no go," George said, stomping his foot.  Writing this way tends to be more punchy and powerful.

Many writers take potent, brief writing one step further by changing a noun into a verb to create something new.  This is a form of what's officially called "anthimeria."  If you googled for information, hashtagged a post, eBayed your old stuff, friended someone on FaceBook, or YouTubed your video, you're already verbing nouns.  Some of these usages, like the above, enter the language and become permanent.

This technique can be used in writing to make your voice unique. The comic Calvin and Hobbes says, "Verbing weirds language," thereby showing how this is done with not one but two words in a unique way.  But "weirding" language also freshens it.  This has been done over the years, such as when Jane Austen in Emma writes, "Let me not suppose that she dares go about, Emma Woodhouse-ing me!" A reader of the book knows this verbed noun references matchmaking.  Even Shakespeare occasionally did this such as in King Lear,  "The thunder would not peace at my bidding." This is not a new technique. 

However, verbing nouns has become more common in modern writing, and it makes writing sound fresh and unique.  Kate Daniels, for instance, used it in In the Marvelous Dimension with the line, "Until then, I'd never liked petunias, their heavy stems, the peculiar spittooning sound of their name."  The word "spittoon" has become a verb/adjective instead of a noun.  In The Lamorna Wink, Martha Grimes writes about a character who "was marmalading a scone."  Verbing nouns cuts out possibly unnecessary words and gets right to the point in a fresh way. 

Now read through your writing.  Where have you used adverbs?  Is there a noun or even a verbed noun you can use there instead to make your writing powerful and fresh?  Best of luck using this technique.