Banish bad writing to Room 101

Good writing is powerful. Bad writing belongs in Room 101.

George Orwell, creator of that fictional torture chamber where people’s worst nightmares reside, determined to rid the world of the terrible writing habits he believed threatened our mother tongue.

The six rules he laid out have been guiding writers in all fields since he wrote them in 1946. Because, after all these years, Orwell’s advice is as relevant today as it was 65 years ago.

1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print

Metaphors and similes have the potential to evoke powerful mental images. But overused phrases such as ‘axe to grind’, ‘selling like hot cakes’ or ‘strike while the iron’s hot’ no longer have the power to conjure up anything other than a slight glazing over of the eyes. A fresh, unfamiliar juxtaposition of ideas can be just the late-afternoon espresso your reader needs to awaken your ideas in their head.

Having said that, imagery is difficult to get right. And beware of overdoing it. If you’re writing a business report, coming up with 12 never-before-seen metaphors per page may not be the best use of your time. Save them for your creative writing class.

2. Never use a long word where a short one will do

On the grounds of rule one, Orwell probably wouldn’t approve of the phrase ‘less is more’. However, it’s often true. Short words are powerful, direct and punchy. They are more likely to be instantly understood, which means your writing will have an immediate impact on your reader.

Note that this rule doesn’t put a complete ban on the use of long words – it discourages using them for their own sake, as this can lead to opaque, pompous writing. But, for variety, the occasional Scrabble high-scorer is acceptable.

3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out

Remove all padding from your writing. This means cutting every word that doesn’t add to your meaning: this isn’t school and you’re no longer graded by the word.

And get rid of waffle-magnets such as nominalisations. This hefty word means a noun that’s created from a verb – for example ‘consideration’ (from the verb ‘consider’) or ‘implementation’ (from ‘implement’, or even just ‘do’). Not only are these noun versions heavier than their lithe verb counterparts, they need extra words (eg, ‘of’ and ‘the’) to make the sentence work.

Little surprise that Nike didn’t go with the slogan, ‘Just complete the implementation of it.’

4. Never use the passive where you can use the active

The active voice is where you put the ‘who’ of the sentence before their action – just as you would if you were speaking. For example:

The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in 1949 by George Orwell

is passive, but

George Orwell wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949

is active.

The active voice is more direct, interesting and logical – and it forces you to be specific about who does what (whereas with the passive, the ‘who’ can be removed from the sentence).

But do keep the passive in reserve for moments of necessary tact (ie, to a customer, ‘The form was filled in incorrectly’ rather than ‘You filled in the form incorrectly’); and perhaps the odd shady cover-up (‘Yes, boss, the coffee machine has been broken…’).

5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent

Not so straightforward, this one, as it really depends on context. For corporate teams or expert readers, jargon is not only acceptable, it can also act like shorthand, helping to clarify your meaning.

But knowing your audience is key. When you need to get technical information over to a more general readership, consider how you’d explain your subject matter to a friend in a different industry, and you’ll find the right words to use.

6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything barbarous

A lazier writer than I am might say there’s an exception to every rule. A straight-talker may just say, use your brain. Even Orwell admitted he was probably guilty of violating these rules ‘again and again’ in the very essay he declared them.

Still, the more you write with these sensible ground rules in mind, the better you’ll become at spotting the odd moments when you might do well to break one.

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Author: Catie Holdridge

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Catie joined Emphasis with an English literature and creative writing degree and a keen interest in what makes language work. Having researched, written, commissioned and edited dozens of articles for the Emphasis blog, she now knows more about the intricacies of effective professional writing than she ever thought possible.

She produced and co-wrote our online training programme, The Complete Business Writer, and these days oversees all the Emphasis marketing efforts. And she keeps office repartee at a suitably literary level.