Newbie Mistake #3 Passive Voice

It took me awhile to get this one, but once I did, it jumps out at me now. Of course I still slip up every now and then. That's what pre-readers-I believe they are now being called beta readers- are for. So, passive voice; what is it? Here's an example: He was talking to the neighbors to find out if they noticed anything. Fix: He talked to the neighbors to find out...  See the difference? I could- probably -give you the grammatical explanation for this, but basically, you want to look for anything that uses a helping verb with an ing word and change it so that it is happening now. Another example, which, by the way is happening as I type: The dog was licking her hand. Fix: The dog licked her hand. See, simple, but you wouldn't believe how many times you will find yourself using the passive voice. So, as you edit, beside looking for exclamation points and adverbs, now keep your eyes open - good thing I'm not talking about cliche's -  for passive voice. Unfortunately, you can't do a search for these, you have to actually read the thing! Have I mentioned that writing is a little like learning to golf? There's all kinds of rules to follow to make your game-writing better and practice makes perfect. Good luck. If you have any questions feel free to ask. As I used to tell my students, if I don't know the answer, I'll find it. Also, there's no stupid questions, so don't be shy.