While writing, I will not use passive voice. I will only use active voice. In my essay on how to create a sustainable essay, one of the points I received feedback on was, to not use passive voice. When writing, passive voice makes your paper boring and not as strong. One way that I can make sure to use active voice is by, avoiding words such as; has, was, did, and are. By choosing a more robust vocabulary, my papers will automatically feel stronger and be more exciting for the reader to read. Another way I can ensure that I’m not using passive voice is by showing instead of telling. An example of this would be saying, “ The girl was tired,”(passive voice.) With active voice it could be rewritten as, “ The girl had bags under her eyes from the restless night before.”
Writing Goal #2: Creative Word Choice
I will make sure to use creative word choice when I write. One of the most common pieces of feedback I got on my college essay was that I needed more creative words choice. Using more creative word choice makes your essay more engaging and more fun to read. I can ensure that I’m using more creative word choice by picking less common words and avoiding the word “very.” This means that instead of saying “very tired” I could use “exhausted.” Or, instead of saying “very excited” I could say “ecstatic.”
Writing Goal #3: Solid Transitions
When writing, I will make sure to have solid transitions. I believe that transitions are what really make or break a paper. Having paragraphs that flow well make a paper so much better and easier to read. This looks like not abruptly changing topics but linking all of your ideas together in a logical and well thought out manner. This could look like writing, "Much like cats, dogs are frequently peoples favorite animals." Rather than, "People like dogs."