Friends, I have a confession: I went to journalism school and somehow skipped the part on passive vs. active voice. 🫣 As I think back, I’m certain they taught it to me. Honestly, I’ll bet I learned it in elementary! But it wasn’t until I was in the thick of writing board member notes and strategic plans for a global organization that someone pointed out to me how much I used passive voice. I’m so thankful they did, because I’ve learned to watch for it in every area of my writing (including KidLit!) and am better for it.
At first I thought I was the only one to miss this important skill. But as I’ve worked with current and aspiring authors and fellow writers, I’ve realized that many people are not sure of the difference between passive and active voice, and which to use when. If you’re an English Grammar nerd, perhaps you can skip this note. But for the rest of us, push those glasses up your nose and let’s dig in—consider this your Active/Passive Voice 101.
First off: What is active voice? Active voice is building a sentence so the subject is doing the action. In passive voice, the action is doing something to the subject.
I know, that sounds a little complicated. In KidLit speak:
- Active Voice: Is if your characters (or objects) are doing the action themselves.
- Passive Voice: Is if something is being done to your characters (or objects).
Let's cut to the examples:
- Passive: The stuffie was carried to the car by Anna.
- Active: Anna carried her stuffie to the car.
- Passive: The tree was cut down by the logger.
- Active: The logger cut down the tree.
- Passive: The bone was hidden by the dog in the backyard.
- Active: The dog hid his bone in the backyard.
👉 Which sounds better to you? I hope you say active voice! Typically passive voice can make the writing sound less clear—and it adds more to your precious word count in a book. Active voice is more specific, brings immediacy and action to your story, and generally uses less words. By putting the character in charge of the action, we give our young readers something to cling to and build from.
Here are some words to keep on your "WAIT I'M USING PASSIVE VOICE" radar: was, is, are, am, be, been, was, would. These words don't always indicate passive voice, but they're good flags to check.
Now, there might be times when passive voice is the most appropriate voice for your story. Perhaps you want to use it in dialogue to reflect the way a character speaks, or to convey a certain emotion, or to downplay the importance of something. And sometimes, it really is the only way to say what you want to say, so don’t be afraid of it! But I promise you, one pass back through your writing to ask, "Is this the voice I want to use here?" will do wonders as you work toward your final draft.
Even better? Your reader will be better off for it.
If you're loving this convo (writing nerds unite 🤓), then there's a spot with your name on it for my next round of the KidLit Lab Manuscript Masterclass, which is *officially open* for enrollment! 🙌 The course kicks off April 22, and it's my last time live-coaching (that means four sessions where I answer all. your. questions.)—so don't miss out! Spots are going fast and I'd love for you to be in on this, Reader. Claim your spot HERE!
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Talk soon,
