Active vs. Passive Voice

In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action: "The detective opened the door." In passive voice, the subject receives the action: "The door was opened by the detective." Active voice is generally preferred in fiction because it is more direct, more energetic, and more engaging. It places the actor front and center, which aligns with storytelling's fundamental concern with characters doing things. Passive voice, by contrast, emphasizes the action or its recipient, which can obscure agency and slow the prose.

Strunk and White's The Elements of Style famously advocates for active voice, and most modern writing guides echo this advice. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway uses almost exclusively active constructions: "He pulled the line. He slapped the fish. He drove the harpoon." The relentless active voice creates a sense of direct engagement with physical reality. However, skilled writers know that passive voice has legitimate uses. In 1984, Orwell employs passive constructions to convey the dehumanizing nature of totalitarian bureaucracy: "It was decided that..." removes the human decision-maker, which is precisely the point.

The guideline is not to eliminate passive voice entirely but to use it intentionally. Passive voice is appropriate when the actor is unknown ("The window had been broken"), when the receiver of the action is more important than the actor ("The president was assassinated"), or when you want to create a specific tonal effect of detachment or helplessness. During revision, search for passive constructions and ask whether each one earns its place. If the passive version obscures who is acting or drains energy from the sentence, rewrite it in active voice. If it serves a deliberate purpose, keep it.