In relation to the first point: I tend to write as much as I can without using those ‘helper’ verbs (and all forms of the ‘to be’ verb). It makes me work harder to find the right verb for a given sentence; it also helps me construct better sentences and work out how to best use the ‘show, don’t tell’ principle.

Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime for a primer into this way of thinking. It doesn’t always make my writing better, but it gives me a different perspective on it than I used to have.

I catch myself spamming "as" all the time, and I usually try to edit them out when I go back through something. It falls into sentences so easily, though. Tough to weed out, but I guess there's something to be said for being less lazy.
Solid pointers.

I wouldn't attribute overuse of 'was' being a bad word to use because it goes into the passive voice. Passive voice is actually preferred in fiction writing a lot of times because it sets up a better stage for showing rather than telling. I'd just attribute the 'was' usage simply to wordiness.

Nice descriptions though, and definitely agree with you on both accounts.

This was a really good read