John PolacekChicago Web Developer

John Polacek is a web developer from Chicago who leads up front end at GiveSmart, runs ChicagoTechEvents.com and ships open source. Follow him on Twitter

Rules To Write By

March 26, 2012

Some great rules to follow when writing, from this George Orwell essay:

  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.