By Zombies: Active vs. Passive Voice

 

As a technical writer for the Federal Government by day, the issue of passive versus active voice is often the subject at the center of editing sessions. Active voice increases clarity and ease of readability and strengthens the message. Using passive voice is not an error, per se, and may be preferred stylisticly for some writers. I aim for 80% active voice in my writing or better. Writing with active voice is the most challenging concept for new writers at my work to learn. Let's break it down. What is the difference between passive and active voice? With passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. For example, the car was driven by the girl. With active voice, the subject does the action. For example, the girl drove the car. Here is a little trick to differentiate passive and active voice. Add the words "by zombies" at the end of a sentence; if it makes grammatical sense, it is passive. Let's test it out. The report was edited and returned...by zombies. The active voice alternative is as follows: I edited and returned the report. Here are a few more examples. Passive: The battle was lost... by zombies. Active: We lost the battle. Passive: A cake is being baked...by zombies. Active: Ryan baked a cake. Passive: The puzzle was solved...by zombies. Active: He solved the puzzle. And, if you don't like to think about zombies, feel free to use a substitution. Instead of zombies, consider using dinosaurs, fairies, or puppies. Happy writing!! Image by Freepik.com

Close Encounters of the 5th Grade Kind

Excerpt from the forward of my novel- Unpublished. This is a true story. George Lucas and Ridley Scott may have directed some of the best alien movies ever made (in my opinion), but none of it compares to having a close encounter with a UFO at the age of 11. I was in the 5th grade in Overland Park, Kansas. That was roughly 1977. I was with my mother, leaving the Food Barn grocery store on Quivera Road, across from Oak Park Mall. And, yeah, that is a horrible name for a grocery store. As we were driving across the parking lot to head back home, we quickly became aware that all the vehicles in the parking lot had stopped in their tracks. Upon further inspection, not only had they stopped, the drivers and passengers were looking at the sky. Necks elongated, jaws open, looking up through their front windshields. What do you do when everyone looks up? You look up, too. That is when we saw it. My mom slammed on the brakes, and like all the other people in the parking lot, our jaws were hanging open, and our brains were trying to process what we saw. It was a UFO. Now, was it of alien origin? I do not know. The craft was silent and hovering low. Shockingly low since the area was full of people. However, back in 1977, the population was sparse compared to today. The shape was like a wheel with spokes turned on its side. Large plates or sections of very bright lights on the outside of the craft were moving while the inside portion remained still. Or, at least, that was how my brain processed it. It was silent. No noise, No mechanical sound. My best estimate is that it was the size of a baseball diamond. My mom yelled at me with a cracked voice to find the Polaroid camera. I rustled frantically through the glove box, but no luck. So, we sat and watched. I kept looking at the other cars for validation that I wasn't hallucinating. If they were still stopped in their tracks looking up, then we were all having the same experience. Of note, I do not recall experiencing fear. In reflection, it seems weird to me that I wasn't scared. But I wasn't. I was in awe and overwhelmed with confusion. I can explain away almost the entire experience except for what happened next. It left. And, when I say it left, I don't mean we watched it fly off into the night. It went from hovering completely still to shooting away in a tenth of a second. It was faster than anything I have ever heard about on Earth, even to this day. I cannot emphasize the speed to which it exited stage right. And, it was silent. There was no sound. We just sat there in silence for 5 minutes after it departed. My mom broke the silence and said, "That was a UFO. That means unidentified flying object. We don't know what we just saw." She didn't like talking about it. She repeated that statement every time I brought it up through the decades until she died in 2016. Side note: There was nothing in the newspaper about it and no internet back in 1977. If this post finds someone who was in that parking lot, please leave a comment or send a message!! Image by Freepik.com

Perfectionism is the Writer's Enemy

Do you know what messes me up and often prevents me from writing? I suspect you already know if you read the title of this post: Perfectionism.

I am writing about this because it is relatable. Also, shining a light on this topic helps me quell my annoying inner voice that whispers mean words in my ear about my writing. The worst whisper is that if I do not write perfectly in my blog, for example, I do not deserve to be a writer. Truth be told. I NEVER write anything error-free. I get blind to my writing. Writers of all experience levels easily miss grammatical errors, poor logic, and poor readability. The cold reader/editor swoops in at the 11th hour and tells us where we fell flat. I plan to discuss editing and the importance of a good editor in an upcoming post. In the meantime, be kind to yourself, and don't be too hard on me when you see my mistakes jump off the page.  

Coffee Shop Writing

It is Saturday afternoon, and I am writing this blog in a local coffee shop and working on hashing out some character development issues in my story. This is a happy space for me. The only thing that could make it better is snow, a fireplace, and mountains out the window. That may be realized someday. Until then, I am enjoying the indie folksy music, eclectic decor, and atmosphere that screams low-key pretentiousness. And, even though I always fear messing up my coffee order, thus drawing attention from the soccer moms and hipsters, I am happy and content to be right where I am. 

Ready, Set,... Write!

By daylight, I am a mental health professional with a cool gig that allows me to write complex, technical published reports. I love my job. The fusion between mental health and writing is unique and a beautiful fit for me. But, there are significant limitations. Technical writing is different from creative writing. Technical writing demands active voice a large percentage of the time. That makes straightforward and clear sentences but tends to leave out creative flow. I crave that creative outlet I cannot attain with my day job. So.. here I go... writing my first novel. Truth be told, I have worked on this novel for many years. I just never get traction. This time is different. I have a plan and a road map to move me toward publication. I'm glad you will be coming along to see my progress, musings, and lessons learned. There will be many. Happy writing✍