George Orwell on Writing

by Tim Dedopulos

George Orwell was one of the 20th Century’s greatest observers — and critics — of English culture. His work is incisive, intelligent, passionate, and devoutly opposed to injustice and totalitarianism. He’s best remembered for his brutally frightening dystopian novel 1984, and his name has become a common term of criticism for draconic, repressive and manipulative social forces. He’d be deliciously pleased by that, I think.

As well as leaving us with a lot of important political and philosophical issues to think about, Orwell also provided some characteristically intelligent and well-though-out writerly advice.

George Orwell

A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus:

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
   
   

And he will probably ask himself two more:

1. Could I put it more shortly?
2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. 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.