Insecure Writer's Support Group

Well, first of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Most of you may already know what happens on the first Wednesday of the month. We writers encourage each other by answering the question of the month. This time the question is "What writing rule do you wish you never heard of?"
My answer would be the "Don't use 'to be' verbs in your writing. Recently, I've read they are not quite as strict about this rule as previously thought. But it's still a good idea to limit them. Why? because if you're using a lot of them, it generally means you're using too much passive voice.  What's wrong with that? It tends to make your story less interesting, with less action. Here are some examples:

• Mary's eyes are blue. Instead, you can say; Mary's blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
• The noisy dog was held by Sue. Instead, say" Sue held the noisy dog."
• The heavy box was mailed by Harry. Instead, say' Harry mailed the heavy box."

Hope you have a great month everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

Be sure to stop by Alex's site: AlexjCavanaugh.blogspot.com.

copyright 2017 Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Deanie's website; www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com