What is an editing technique for catching passive telling voice?
Learning the difference between passive and active is actually simple when you boil it down. The subject performs the action in sentences written in active voice. Subjects in sentences written in passive voice receive the action expressed by the verb. One gives, the other receives. Watch for words like is, was, were, will be, has been and have been. Not in every case, but most times rewriting the sentence without these words breaths life into the sentence so that is shows the action rather than telling about it. For more suggestions on how to move from passive to active voice you can check out my article, Warning Flags – Words to Use with Caution. How can a new writer avoid endless re-writing and editing? Its easy to get caught up in a rewrite and editing loop, especially on longer projects. Pumping Your Muse helps writers push beyond this trap. It allows you to make scenes better but takes you beyond this to the development of new information in the process and forces the storyline to
