In praise of Orwell

George Orwell is the patron saint of dystopian satirists everywhere, writing some of the most powerful satire of the 20th century (though sadly these days it seems some people think 1984 is a "how to" manual, not a warning to humanity.)

Anyway, this is Orwell Month, and one thing we (try) to keep in mind when writing this blog is his 5 rules of Good Writing.

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.

And his 6th rule, in true Orwellian style, to overturn his own rules....

6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous.

The Social Media explosion of "stuff" being written could really use these rules, some blog writing is absolutely woeful. Having said that it's much, much harder than you think to write with these rules in mind, and reading most "Olde Meedja" tech and biz-text is a lesson in Orwellian rule-breaking. Twitter is very interesting in that it does make one focus the message in a very Orwellian way.

(Incidentally, its well worth reading the whole Orwell canon, there is a lot more to him than 1984 and Animal Farm.)