Six Golden Rules That Will Change Your Writing Forever
15
OCTOBER, 2017
Samuel Osho
The Six Golden Rules
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print
Never use a long word where a short one will do
As rightly put by the Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Every writer must work towards brevity; put your thoughts across to readers in a lucid manner using the right words. Use words that can shorten the length of your text. Be concise and clear.
In all, never put your readers in doubt as regards the meaning of your thoughts. Take a look at the following examples: “Obama is a bold speaker” instead of “Obama is no longer shy when speaking.” “He is fearless” instead of “He is not afraid.”
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out
When you are in search of inspiration and your mind is aimed at reaching a certain word count, you may be tempted to use all the words that come your way. Have you noticed that if you take a second look at your written piece, some sentences will survive without “that”? After the first draft, peruse your work and cut out unnecessary words.
” As rightly put by the Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare: ‘Brevity is the soul of wit.’ Every writer must work towards brevity; put your thoughts across to readers in a lucid manner using the right words.”
Never use the passive where you can use the active
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous
Rules are guidelines and they offer guidance. But why don’t you attempt breaking one of these rules? Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken if you want to soar on the wings of creativity. Have fun with your imagination and make sure you have a concrete reason for breaking any of these rules.
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