Hey TeknoWizard,
A less passive top laner, hmm, you mean someone like Riven? Well the truth is, you will always have to be passive for the first few levels until you get all of your skills. Once you get all of your skills, you should notify your jungler that you are wanting a gank and that you want to go for a "kill lane" (usually this term is used for bottom lane partners who go for massive damage, but if this case I am using it for a top laner that wants to kill constantly), and every time he gets a chance let him gank and help you. Also, so that you can kill him easily, you should poke him down using your skills WISELY to poke him down constantly, and if he goes back, just farm up. I hope this made sense to you, and I hope you have best of luck on solo top. This is what I know from experience, and sorry if it does not work for you, but good luck!
-GreenJ