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Active voice, passive voice
 Confused
about this? Well you're not alone. Most writers, even professional
writers, struggle to understand the difference between active
and passive voices. In fact, I'd been writing professionally
for years before I even knew there was such a thing as
active
or passive writing.
Like a lot of modern writers, I work by feel.
Instinct. Nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives; it was all so much
more blah. You might as well talk to me about crotchets
and quavers and semibreves when I'm trying to crank up a Hendrix
riff on my Stratocaster—meaning that the conventions of music
aren't as important as the music itself.
Ditto for the conventions of writing.
In fact, the conventions of writing often get
in the way. They tie your head up in the minutiae and technicalities
of what you're doing rather than allowing you to just ... well,
groove.
The language keeps jerking you back to the rules,
when at times you need to forget the rules.
Most of us are pretty badly educated. At least,
the nature and style of education has changed markedly over
the past few decades. English grammar, for instance, is still
taught in schools, but not in the way it was taught in the dark
ages of education when you could be soundly thrashed in front
of the class simply for forgetting how to conjugate your verbs
(whatever the hell that means).
But understanding the names of the nuts and bolts
of writing isn't vital. Not for everyone, anyway. That said,
there is a case for keeping your eye on a few of the mechanics,
and active and passive voices are worth a closer look.
Want to read more?
There are over 25,000 words of
writing tips and advice on my website. I've spent months
writing these pages, and years refining them. I'm happy to
share my professional knowledge with you. But like everyone
else, I need to capitalise on my skills and efforts.
For just £1.99 I'll send you my entire
MR EDIT'S WRITING ADVICE FOR AUTHORS as a .pdf file. Just follow the link below, or above, and you'll be taken to PayPal. You don't need an account; just a credit card or a
debit card.
You'll generally receive my writing
guide within an hour. But occasionally technical glitches
from PayPal delay this for up to 24 hours.
Either way, you'll receive 25,000
very helpful words that will make you a better writer, will
give you fresh insight into your work, and
will improve the chances of a literary agent or publisher
accepting your manuscript.
Mr Edit
YouTube videos
Meanwhile, here are
some of my You Tube videos that might be of interest to you.
Hope you enjoy them.
Mr Edit. Let's talk about dialogue
https://youtu.be/KG0CLm1S9Rs
Mr Edit. Pitching fiction to a literary
agent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy698w2Ooc8
Mr Edit. 5 Minute Fiction Fix.
https://youtu.be/y6OPUfcDH90
Mr Edit. Let's talk about tautology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zhoBLImV6U
Links for writers
Preditors
& Editors. Here's where you can check out the credentials
of literary agents and publishers. A must for any writer.
http://pred-ed.com
Creative Helps.
Helpful resource for the creative community. Articles, links
and tips.
http://www.creativehelps.com/products.htm
Nick Daws'
Writing Blog. Lots of useful posts on all aspects of writing,
both for print and online, plus a guest post for anyone who
wants to make a contribution. Check it out.
http://www.mywritingblog.com
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