After all…I do have a tendency to be passive aggressive…can’t I speak with a passive voice as well?

I have rewritten my entire first chapter….about 3 times now….and I SWEAR this last version better be the last. I have weeded out as much passive voice as I can, but I just FEEL like some of it belongs there. So I picked up one of my favorite books (I will refrain from naming which one…for fear of the peanut gallery chiming in) and realized it’s AMAZINGLY passive, yet I still love it! It all make sense to me. It all sounds great in the text it is used in. PLUS its not the FIRST book in the series, so this writer had already had some experience.

So what if I want to be a little passive too. I just feel like it works and like it sounds exactly how I want it to. I’ve gone through it at least 5 times in the last few days and thought hard about my words and my emotions and my characters (for ONLY the first chapter mind you) and it feels complete to me. I made some major revisions and moved some big pieces around, but it feels good. However the passive voice still remains in parts. I’m not being lazy, as they say those who speak with a passive voice often are. I have reworded each passive sentence and the ones I have left just don’t make sense any other way.

So am I ruining my chances of being published? I mean if other authors *cough cough Stephanie Meyer cough cough** can get away with it and still remain on the NY Times Best Seller list….there has to be a TINY bit of hope for me!