Question: I realized I start sentences with *the*, *he*, *she*, *it*, *after* and *then* all the time. So I'm starting to use verbs instead. Here is an example of something I wrote:

> 
> Erin left out a sigh. "Why am I thinking so much about this?"
> 
> 
> She decided to forget about the thing, and go lie on bed instead. Talking to herself had really made her tired; a little bit more
> and she would go crazy. She reached to her desk and grabbed her phone.
> Hearing Benjamin's voice would probably snap her back to reality.
> 
> 
> 

I remember having read about this long ago (but I don't remember if the author considered it good or bad writing).

Answer: 
If you are struggling with variety in your sentence structure, I think you should make it a *writing exercise* to begin sentences with verbs. Then do an exercise where you begin sentences with adjectives. Then do an exercise where you begin sentences with words that rhyme with *blue*. Any and all techniques that force you out of your comfort zone and get you to practice new forms of writing are good. Ultimately, you should seek variety in your writing, but this is not something you just do. As you have found, once you get used to a certain organizational structure, you start thinking that way. Other sentence constructions have to become comfortable to you before you can start implementing them effectively. So, while the simple advice is to just unfetter yourself, the hard truth is that it's going to seem like you're writing gibberish until new writing constructions feel natural.
Every word, and how you use it are tools in your toolbox. You can follow proper grammar, or twist it to barely understandable, and these are still just tools.

What happens when you start your sentences with verbs? What is that tool used for?

The verb is the meat of the sentence. It's the most important word in the sentence. In fact if you don't have one, then you have a fragment. Other words in the sentence just describe the verb. Who is doing, the action, how is the action being done. Other even less important words describe the actors who are doing the action. The more flowery the writing, the more words you have besides the verb.

So now let's think about starting with verbs. We are jumping straight to the most important part. We don't have time to waste with other words. This makes the writing feel fast, direct, intense, personal. If those are the things you want, start with a verb. If they are not, then surround the verb with other words to give it the feeling that you need.

As always writing is best when it has ups and down. Sentences should be of varied lengths, and structure. You can't use any one tool for the whole piece of writing. Use many tools to create something interesting and changing, where the grammar itself is part of telling the story.