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Why shouldn't people use the passive voice in writing?
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tagwriting
tagcreative writing
categorycreativity
typeadvice
tynamite
tynamite's avatar In third person stories, I like to use passive speech, when I want time to "slow down" as the reader will take longer to read the scene, or when I want to make something intensely emotional when I haven't had enough time in the story to establish the hooks (maybe it's the second chapter and I need suspense while the reader doesn't know the characters).

In first person stories, I like to use passive speech when the narrator is reminiscent about a dream or talking about one, to show a dreamy and mystical attitude.

I don't like using passive language repeatedly, sentence after sentence, it breaks the flow, and makes reading a chore in my opinion. Whenever I use passive speech, I make it account for 10% or less of the chapter typicaly, mixing it up with active speech, making it hard to spot.

Passive speech is something that I rarely use in writing.
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