You probably learned about active and passive voice in school, as these are common concepts taught in reading and English classes all the way through college. But knowing the difference between the two doesn’t mean you always use that knowledge in your writing. If your goal is to become a published author, a thorough understanding of active and passive voice, and knowing when to use them, can help you become a better writer, so your first book is well-received by your target audience.
Why Active Voice Is Preferred
Many writing resources prefer the use of the active voice. While it’s not necessarily wrong to use passive voice, it can often lead to wordier writing, which can confuse your readers. When using the active voice, the subject performs the action. However, when using passive voice, it’s written like the subject is receiving the action. This style of writing can require the use of excessive prepositional phrases. Your readers may not understand exactly what’s happening and may be required to reread parts of your book written in the passive voice to better understand what’s happening.
Passive Voice Isn’t Always Wrong
The passive voice can be used in certain scenarios. It’s appropriate to use it if you wish to show that the action is more important than the person doing the action. Passive voice is also appropriate if the person doing the action is not known or when they are simply not relevant to the story. Overall, you can use passive voice sparingly without disrupting your readers’ enjoyment of your work as long as you use it where it makes sense according to the generally accepted rules of writing.
Writing in the passive voice is often a habit authors fall into, and it can be a hard habit to break. If you find yourself using the passive voice when the active voice is a better option, you may have to put in some considerable effort to change your writing style. Remember, the active voice is usually easier for readers to comprehend, and it’s less wordy, which makes your writing clearer. As a prospective author, use passive voice sparingly in your writing if you wish to create a book that your readers will understand and enjoy.
