The Voice You Use Matters
The Copywriter Column #102
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Experienced copywriters know the importance of using active voice over passive voice.
Active voice emphasizes the subject. Passive voice emphasizes the recipient of the subject’s action.
“Tommy hit the ball” (active)
“The ball was hit by Tommy” (passive)
Don’t get me wrong – I think there are times it’s appropriate to use passive voice, when writing about memories, for example. But even then, you can write about them actively.
Whenever conversations about active voice and passive voice come up though, I find I ask myself this one question:
“Am I happening to life or is life happening to me?”
It’s a strange question, I know, but its answer spells the difference between living passively or living intentionally.
I can spend my days waiting for good things to happen, or I can go out and create opportunities for that good to become a reality in the first place.
“Matt seized the day” (active) sounds a lot better than “Matt was seized by the day” (passive), you feel me?
All that to say, the voice you use matters in both your writing and your life.
Choose wisely.
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