Discussions At The Garden Bench

Lesson Six Discussion Questions

What are some of the problems you have with your verbs in writing?

I guess you can say I have a problem is writing too many inactive verbs in the passive voice instead of active verbs in the active voice when writing fiction. Someone gave me advice to use past tense when writing sword and sorcery/dungeons and dragons type of fantasy. I followed it but this lesson makes more sense than to my writing voice.

Do you understand the differences between passive voice and active voice in writing? Explain it to us.

“Passive voice occurs when the subject exists in a state of being or is acted upon by the direct object.”

“When using active voice you have a subject, action verb, and direct object relationship.”

Research which are the most over-used verbs in the English language. Give us three alternatives for each one that would make them stronger.

Get – Obtain, Acquire, Receive

Come – Arrive, Appear, Approach

Do – Perform, Act, Make

Have – Possess, Own, Grasp

Say – Speak, Reply, Reveal

Why is it important in prose/fiction writing to write in the ACTIVE voice rather than the passive?

From what I had read in Lesson 6, writers who write prose/fiction should stay away from the passive voice because the active voice makes the sentences flow unlike the passive which drive the reader away from being too slow with the pace of the scenes.