Timewaster's Guide Archive

If there's a dinosaur in the loch, then either it's immortal or there's a flock of 'em.  If there are immortal dinosaurs, then the world is much stranger than I suppose.  And if there's a herd (a pod?) of Nessies, then the loch is too small to provide enough food, or enough space to hide.  So, no.

Sometimes I wish my favorite book series were more like my favorite TV series, so I would always know when the next installment would be coming out. 

But then I remember how some series get cancelled right when something really cool is happening (Firefly, The 4400, The Agency).  And I am glad that publishers are less likely to do this than producers. 

Then I remember how some series take a wrong turn (Heroes, season 2), or run out of steam (Burn Notice), or have really disappointing endings (BSG).  And I am glad that authors can take more time to figure things out than screenwriters.

So I'm in no hurry. 

I haven't seen the UK WoK cover.  Where do I find it?

Every game that comes out has the potential to sink WoW.  And every kid that comes into the NBA might be the next Michael Jordan.

This: http://www.timewastersguide.com/forum/index.php?topic=8251.msg176621#msg176621

This is cool.  I wish I had time to write every day like this.  As it is, all my writing time is going to finish a novel. But I wish the best of luck to you and everyone else who is doing this. 

Hey, I have had several people tell me that I am using passive voice in my stories when I don't think I am.  Maybe that term just means different things to us.  I always thought passive voice was like this:

PASSIVE - The lamp was broken while you were gone.

The second sentence is passive because there is no subject.  No one is doing the thing that was done.  It just happened.  You fix it by saying who did it.

ACTIVE - I broke the lamp while you were gone.

But some people, on these boards and in other places, seem to think that passive voice is more than that.  To them, passive voice is using anything but a simple verb tense.  For example:

PAST SIMPLE: He thought about giving up.
PAST IMPERFECT: He was thinking about giving up.
PAST PERFECT:  He had thought about giving up.
PAST PLUPERFECT: He had been thinking about giving up.

In all of these four, the subject is included, so I would consider all of them active voice.  Some people might say that the latter three are less direct than the first one, but I don't think that's true.  I think using those tenses conveys different information; they imply different things about the action.  And I would not call any of them passive voice.   

What do you think?  What do you mean when you talk about passive voice?