Active vs Passive Voice
Understanding the Differences in Writing
As I continue on my writing journey, I am excited to announce that I am now at the stage of polishing a short story. The revision and editing process has been a challenging but rewarding experience, and I am proud of the progress I have made. I have spent a lot of time fine-tuning the details and making sure that every word and phrase serves a purpose. The result is a story that I am excited to share with others.
But I am not stopping here, I have mapped out a few more short stories that I am eager to tackle next. I am applying the lessons I have learned during my current story's revision and editing process to my new projects, and I am confident that this will lead to even better results. I'm also looking forward to experimenting with different writing styles and genres to find my own voice as a writer.
In short, this experience has reinforced my belief that revisions and editing are crucial steps in the short story writing process. They allow a writer to take a good story and turn it into a great one. And, by incorporating good habits like revisions and editing into your writing process, you can consistently produce high-quality work.
As a beginner writer, one of the most challenging things I have encountered is understanding the difference between active and passive voice. I found it quite confusing to understand when to use one or the other, and why one way of structuring sentences is considered better than the other. In this post, I'll share my understanding of the concepts, and how it can help me in my writing journey.
From what I've learned, active voice is when the subject of the sentence performs the action, while in passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action. For example, "The dog chased the cat" is written in an active voice because the subject "dog" is performing the action of chasing. On the other hand, "The cat was chased by the dog" is written in passive voice because the subject "cat" is the receiver of the action.
Active voice is considered more direct, clear, and concise than passive voice. It makes the writing more dynamic and it also makes it easier to identify the subject, verb, and object of the sentence. As a beginner, I am trying to incorporate this in my writing.
I've also learned that passive voice is often used in formal or academic writing. It can be useful when the writer wants to downplay the agent of the action, or when the agent is not known. But, as a beginner, I am trying to focus on using active voice as it is more engaging and easier to understand.
For example, "The cake was baked by the chef" is written in passive voice because the subject "cake" is the receiver of the action. This sentence is less clear because the focus is on the cake, and the agent of action (the chef) is less important and at the end of the sentence. On the other hand, "The chef baked the cake" is written in an active voice because the subject "chef" is performing the action of baking. This sentence is clear and easy to understand, and something I aim to achieve in my writing.
As a beginner writer, understanding the difference between active and passive voice is crucial. By understanding the difference between the two and using them appropriately, I can improve the clarity and engagement of my writing. It takes time and practice, but by incorporating good habits like focusing on active voice, I am confident that my writing will improve over time.
Last week I mention I’d like to highlight one cool thing, so I’ve named this section…
Here’s The Thing
The thing this week is
“The Challenge from Beyond” is a work of collaborative fiction by C. L. Moore, A. Merritt, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Frank Belknap Long. The tale describes the discovery of a strange artefact -- an unusual stone imbued with the power to transport its possessor to distant worlds. Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble. Music and production by Ian Gordon