Orwellian Writing Tips
posted by Amos on Monday, October 1st 2007
Noticed these writing tips from George Orwell, taken from his book “Politics and the English Language.” I particularly like the advice “Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.“. In other words, be obscure, or fight to keep your own voice on the page. I’ve often found it helps to write down the qualities of the thing I’m trying to describe in an effort to crack its ethereal feeling. Everyone knows what a sunset is, and what a sunset feels like to them. What they’re waiting to hear is what the sunset feels like to you, or your character. Don’t tell them what they already know. Tell them what they already know in such a way as to make them know it for the first time.
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Wenz
October 3rd 2007 - 8:39am
“Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?” I like that one.
In a way, that also covers your sunsetproblem: all stereotypes are ugly, so you have to avoid them. But then again: your definition sounds a lot more passionate. 
‘Write down the qualities’, I’ll remember that one, next time i’m stuck and disgusted by all the phrases I’ve heared a thousand times before.