I have seen this for years in both editing and correcting student papers. Authors spend a lot of time believing in, focusing on, helping with, sharing with, or working on. Or they were believing, have been focusing, helped with sharing, or were working on something. There’s nothing wrong with progressive or past perfect continuous verbs plus helping verbs — they exist in our language for a reason. But string too many together and your reader is left wondering if anything ever happened.

Action verbs are usually single words that describe what a person or thing (the subject) of a sentence does. Along with linking verbs, they can provide a more active and complete picture for your reader. Regardless of whether you write about something that is physically taxing, action verbs and linking verbs convey that you are in fact engaged, that you do or did something. 

Here’s a quick example:

Past perfect continuous: He is reading.

Active: He reads. 

While the first sentence does relay the message that the activity is ongoing, the second sentence is the one that sounds strong. And most of us want a strong message for our audience.

So why do we continue to use so many -ing verbs? You might be looking to soften your language (see what I did there?) so you sound more inclusive or less combative, depending on the circumstances. Or you might use an -ing verb to convey that the action continues. There’s no need to eliminate all -ing verbs from your writing but do be careful. They can make a sentence unnecessarily wordy, boring, or static. Remember that strong writers write strong sentences. They choose active verbs, reduce excessive wordiness, and take a powerful stance. 

Here are some ways to minimize the use of -ing verbs in your writing:

1. Combine sentences or break them up. Instead of listing all the -ing verbs, pick an active verb and combine your thoughts using adverbs or phrases. Conversely, you can also change around a sentence with too many -ing verbs and break it into smaller sentences with more active verbs. 
2. Use an active voice. Don’t be afraid of a strong statement, especially when you want to convey a clear and precise meaning to your audience. Tell ‘em like it is. You can be kind and direct at the same time.  
3. Proofread. It’s okay if you write like you talk and you use a lot of -ing verbs when you’re conversing.  Add in a step in your early proofreading to underline or note each of your -ing verbs. If you notice them stacking up, go back and change the sentence structure or pick a stronger active verb. Sometimes you simply need to cross out -ing and you’re good to go. 

In law school, a friend agreed to peer review my first paper. Not sure how far he read before he handed it back with a copy of The Lawyer’s Guide to Writing Well by Tom Goldstein and Jethro K. Lieberman. “No offense meant here,” he told me. “But you have got to write about what actually happened.” Message received. It’s some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten on how to communicate by and through writing well.