| Author |
Message |
    
Steven Shrewsbury
Wandering Member
Post Number:
241
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 26, 2003 - 09:53 am: |   |
I see it in published works often, but editors will break your ball-bearings for leaving passive voice in a tale. When is this acceptable? Is it ever?
Opinions and advice? |
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2301
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 26, 2003 - 11:19 am: | |
I can't give you advice, Steven, cause I am guilty guilty guilty. That was one of the critique comments about my fictional book. Nancy Mehl and CE and others have explained it to me a zillion times and I STILL can't understand it.
Maybe Nancy Mehl or CE or others will chime in and help you out.
I will say this. I was worried about it so asked the second publisher of my book to watch for passive voice and make me correct it if necessary. She said not to change a word, or a thing. So I didn't. My ball bearings are intact haha. |
Steven Shrewsbury
Wandering Member
Post Number:
242
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 26, 2003 - 01:22 pm: | |
Sheesh, tough room...just trying to be sensitive to any ladies on the board harhar....
Anyways, I just had a manuscript edited and I had cut out passive stuff compeltely...and see the professional has riddled the manuscript with the stuff...sigh...so what is up with that? |
Todd Hunter
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
735
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 26, 2003 - 03:48 pm: | |
I've also seen pro books where authors fill the pages with pain-staking description of each and every aspect of the scenery and characters.
I've also seen them where they do nothing but have constant dialogue.
I think we've just realized the rules are just put out there to make
new authors try and jump through hoops. Heh.
I just write the story the way it sounds good to me, and then go from there.
Of course, I haven't yet finished a story since Hero...so......... |
Matt Dinniman
Hunger Member
Post Number:
64
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 26, 2003 - 06:38 pm: | |
As an editor, I usually mark up passive voice if it calls attention to itself (heh). But I guess everyone is different.
If the new Harry Potter was written by a new writer, I suspect half the adverbs would've been ripped out of there. They're not as present in the first one, but I bet they were there in the first draft. |
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