Austin Kleon — Orwell’s “dos” vs. Orwell’s “don’ts”

Shaun at Lists of Note recently posted George Orwell’s “Rules for Writers” from his incredible “Politics and the English Language”:

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.

Great list, but I think I like this list of questions that comes earlier in the essay better:

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?
5. Could I put it more shortly?
6. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

And of course, the best thing is to not read these lists out of context, but to read the whole essay.