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To the naked eye, there is not much that separates good writing from bad writing. All the same words appear—in fact, bad writing quite often contains longer and more complicated words. Of course, the difference between a well-written piece and a poorly written one becomes very clear, not in the writing process, but in the reading.
When reading, what seemed at the time like a God-given burst of creative genius can be instantly transformed into a rambling mass, quickly resulting in the slamming shut of a book, laptop, or, increasingly, iPad or Kindle. How to create great copy is a perennial problem and one that has prompted writers, authors, journalists, and editors to pump out many thousands of pages.
For many years, George Orwell’s five rules, outlined in his 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language,” have been the first port of call (Orwell would not like that tired phrase) for writers and writing teachers. Good writing, he says, must:
- Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech 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 saying anything outright barbarous.
The more words you have at your disposal, the more variations and subtleties you will be able to employ in your work. Similarly, an increased awareness and control of grammar opens a whole world of possibilities for sentence, paragraph, and page construction. Get these basics right, and your readers will effortlessly glide through your unexpected twists, clandestine turns, and enigmatic protagonists.
In addition to ignoring millionaire songwriter icons, aspiring writers have several avenues for improving their English language skills. They can:
- Move to an English-speaking country – which luckily can be found all around the world.
- Delve into the language’s rich literary past, from Shakespeare and Milton to Rowling and McEwan. If this doesn’t inspire you, nothing will!
- Enroll at one of the language schools London boasts, such as St George International, to get a solid technical grounding.
- Absorb the homegrown music scene and pick up on local lyrics known only to the underground to truly blend in with local speakers.
Story by K.M. Weiland
Tags: Feature
Ha! I already put this one on my status today, so it was a bit weird to find it here too. "Never use a long word where a short one will do." :D
Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Sam!
@Lorna: Orwell's great, isn't he?
I haven't looked at Orwell's "rules" in a long time; this is a good reminder. I agree that learning from other writers is one of the best ways to become a better writer. The literary greats are my best teachers. I suggest this to my students all the time, as well. Great post! Thanks.
-Miss GOP
www.thewritingapprentice.com
Thanks for this. It's good to be reminded of straightforward advice every now and then. I always find it helps my writing far more than some of the more complex ideas that are going round.
I wonder if writing advice obeys any laws. It sometimes appears that the greater the writer, the simpler the advice, Ernest Hemingway and Steven King both have fairly simple advice for writers.
Great reminders. Thanks for sharing.
I like Orwell's rules. The passive has been a stumbling-block for me, but I think I'm learning. And I do love a good metaphor or simile, but the more original or unusual, the more effective - unless you're actually poking fun at a cliche for comic effect.
That's pretty appicable to any writing style. Even includes an escape hatch!
Knowing the rules so one can break them effectively makes for solid prose (and this goes for grammar too, yes!) - even if the reader doesn't know why the prose reads so well, or so smoothly, etc. Nice post!
We all need these reminders. Writers too often fall in love with how beautifully we can write. We should focus on how clearly we write. Thank you!
I love George Orwell. I read 1984 and i fell in love, in a non homosexual way of course. But His work is brilliant. And the ideas you have presented here are strong. But i think when it comes to writing, the more you write, and the bigger you see your career and this is what you will create. I think this takes time and you can't really teach a person how to write, you learn by DOING!