Orwell's Rules for Writers

After an enforced, brief and incomplete flirtation during High School, I recently returned to and read George Orwell's 1984 (as part of my 'Classics' catch up campaign)... Wow, I was pretty much blown away by this book; it is still timely, chilling and fascinating... If you've ever said 'I should read that' (and you trust me) then I recommend you get on with it... In the mean time check out:

 Orwell's Rules for Writers 

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

From this essay.

And amazingly, by coincidence, AFTER I posted this I discovered that there's a new big screen adaptation in the works!