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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/11057
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Before I launch into this, I've perused these threads and they don't quite answer the specific question I have in mind:

[When to keep the passive voice and when to remove it](https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/9314/when-to-keep-the-passive-voice-and-when-to-remove-it)

[When \*should\* I use passive voice?](https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/2325/when-should-i-use-passive-voice)

I'm making decent progress on a story, and I tend to do my drafts in Microsoft Word and use Grammarly to get additional grammar checking as I go along. One of the features of these that I have been working on is active vs. passive voice, for which these tools are immensely helpful. I've found that I have gotten much better at writing in active voice, but there are times when I am certain that mangling a sentence to use active voice, as suggested by the tools, ruins the mood or feel of the scene.

Therein lies the real question: **How peevish are editors about the use of passive voice in fiction, really?**

I worry that I'm spending too much time agonizing over voice, when I should be spending more time just _writing._ (See: [The "Rules" of Writing](https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/761/the-rules-of-writing)) Even if I just stop and start blasting out volumes of text, I might later blindly follow every voice suggestion to my detriment.

I find myself in need of advice from those who actually have experience. Therefore, I turn to you.

Thanks in advance.

And yes, I'm a first-time writer.

Original score: 4