The Curse of the Was's

Recently, I've learned that I have a very bad writing habit. It is one of my greatest flaws as an author, and that is the habit of being too passive in sentences that should be active. For example: "I was running towards her" instead of "I ran towards her." As I've become painfully aware of it in my own writing, I've begun to see it in that of others.

It seems to be a human habit, really. Why is that, I have to wonder. Do we feel the need to over-qualify our statements, make them less definitive, so that they do not offend? (Perhaps that is just the reason for my own habit of it. I don't know.)

Whatever the reason, it's something to watch out for. It's not always avoidable, of course, but whenever possible, we writers should always try to be active and definitive. It's quite all right to do so! In fact, it's better because it engages the reader's senses and imagination more. And as writers, we should always aim to do that as much as possible.

You want to tell a story and draw your reader as deeply in as you can, which means making them go along with your characters; making them feel it too.

Don't give into passivity. Much like it's good for the body to be active, it's good for the story too!