Passive writing

I'm trying to find ways to wipe out passive writing. I don't want my readers to be bored to death. I want to involve them in my book with active voice. Now I know once in a while a passive voice might actually be needed, but those times are few and far between. I've decided to avoid passive writing by identifying weak verbs as I write my first draft. Search for verbs preceded by "would" (would go, would sleep, would eat) replace with went, slept, ate. Also look for actions that seem to happen out of thin air. "The door was opened" is passive, because the sentence lacks a "doer". Remember, the reader needs to visualize what's happening in the story. "The wind blew the door open" is better, because the action can be attributed to something, and it puts the most important element (strong wind) at the beginning of the sentence. Simply rearranging the words ("The door blew open from the wind") puts emphasis on a door that won't stay closed, making that the subject of the sentence.

Robyn's stomach was growling because she hadn't eaten all day. Now I see that this sentence can be fixed to make it more interesting. Robyn's stomach growled. That is really all that is needed. I write this post to help MOI. I am using the little word was more times than I care to count. I have committed to actively think about each sentence I write to combat this was problem.

I also don't like hadn't, couldn't, and didn't. Weak, lifeless verbs get deleted most of the time. I want my writing to be vibrant, active, and sparkling.

I've decided that it isn't easy writing a book. But the more we write the better we get. When we write our books, we become our own teachers. I read great how to write better books, but I learn the most from MY writing. Every day I discover something new. And I learn from my blogger buds. I have a wealth of information when I visit y'all everyday. Thanks so much. :-)