Twelve writing tips from George Orwell
George Orwell was not only one of the greatest opponents of totalitarianism in the twentieth century, but one of the greatest writers, as well.
In his book, Politics and the English Language, Orwell outlined a twelve tips for writers. These six questions should be asked of every sentence the writer scribes:
- What am I trying to say?
- What words will express it?
- What image or idiom will make it clearer?
- Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
- Could I put it more shortly?
- Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?
He then adds six maxims to remember:
- Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
- Never use a long word where a short one will do.
- If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
- Never use the passive where you can use the active.
- Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
- Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Courtesy of WritingClasses.com.
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