Aside from the great literary pieces that George Orwell contributed to the world library, he also shared a few of the secrets for effective writing that kept his work relevant. He often referred to his rules as "elementary" and urged readers to remember that you could follow each one and still produce bad writing. However, according to Orwell, your writing won't be as terrible as some of the passages quoted in his essay, "Politics and the English Language".
"...modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug." -George Orwell
Orwell's rules apply well when writing a grant proposal. They can provide a much needed compass point when creative energy overtakes the purpose of your writing. It is our job as grant writers to interpret data, to tell a story, to evoke emotion and to make a compelling case for support. Creativity is the glue that holds it all together, but is not the theme of the 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.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Orwell's original essay, "Politics and the English Language" was written in 1946.
~Cheers!
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