Six Golden Rules That Will Change Your Writing Forever

Six Golden Rules That Will Change Your Writing Forever

by | Oct 15, 2017 | Writing

Six Golden Rules That Will Change Your Writing Forever

15

OCTOBER, 2017

Samuel Osho

Writing is a craft, which means it can be studied, understood, and learnt. It’s natural for you to feel inadequate after reading the works of some excellent writers. But here is the good news, you can be a better writer if you are ready to do the work.
After wrestling with a bouquet of books, I encountered several authors who gave their best to make words look more than a compendium of alphabets. George Orwell is one of such beautiful minds that blessed the world with greats gifts such as Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four,  The Road to Wigan Pier amongst many others. His exceptional use of allegory in Animal Farm made him stand out amidst his peers.

 

However, not many people know his real name – Eric Arthur Blair. In fact, his tombstone bears “Eric Arthur Blair.” But even in his death, the world continues to celebrate the works of Orwell for his ability to explain social injustice, autocracy, democratic socialism to the common man. This is a popular quote from his book, Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
In “Politics and the English Language,” an essay published by Orwell in 1946, he handed six golden rules to all writers of English language. These six cardinal points can guide your choices of words and embellish your works with brilliance.

 

After applying these six rules to my writing, my paragraphs started shining. I thought of sharing them with you, so you can also start cooking irresistible meals of literature for your readers.

 

Writing is a craft, which means it can be studied, understood, and learnt. Click To Tweet

The Six Golden Rules

Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print

This a priceless advice for writers that want to produce outstanding works. Does Orwell mean I should come up with new literary devices despite the inundating volume of works in print? Yes!  And you can do it. You only need to pay attention to the concepts of these literary devices and craft ones peculiar to your work. In summary, Orwell wants you to know that cliches make your work look watery, ordinary and common.

 

In a more practical sense, avoid using the following expressions: “apple of my eye,” “birds of a feather flock together,” “ideas in motion,” “life is a journey,” “the light of my life,” “necessity is the mother of invention,” “sweet smell of success,” amongst many others. Craft new expressions using your originality and you will be amazed by the effects created.

 

In summary, Orwell wants you to know that cliches make your work look watery, ordinary and common. Click To Tweet

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.”

Every writer must work towards brevity; put your thoughts across to readers in a lucid manner using the right words. Click To Tweet

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

Masters of forceful writing make use of active sentences. They are powerful and not as weak like the passive ones. If you want to be direct and grab the attention of your readers from the first sentence, employ active sentences.

 

Orwell means you should say, “I shall always remember my first visit to California” instead of “My first visit to California will always be remembered by me.”

 

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent

Writing is a form of communication and understanding is key. What is the essence of writing articles that are incomprehensible? Use simple words and avoid scientific words whenever possible. It will facilitate the comprehension of your readers. If it’s academic writing, you can use professional terms. You really don’t need to use words like “status quo,” and “lingua franca” if they can be replaced with English equivalents.

 

Masters of forceful writing make use of active sentences. Click To Tweet

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.

Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken if you want to soar on the wings of creativity. Click To Tweet
In conclusion, stay away from popular metaphors, say goodbye to passive sentences, shun foreign phrases, seek brevity and feel free to break any of the rules. Apply these golden rules from Orwell to your writing and watch your piece glitter like gold. That’s it for this week.
Let me know your thoughts about this post. Which one of the six rules is your favorite? Which one of the six rules do you want to apply immediately to your writing?

 

5 Reasons Why I Love Writing

5 Reasons Why I Love Writing

by | Oct 7, 2017 | Writing

5 Reasons Why I Love Writing

07

OCTOBER, 2017

Samuel Osho

Interestingly, you know the favorite spot in town where you have your lovely restaurant. It’s the home of your favorite meal and you can’t just stop telling your friends about it. There is a reason why your taste bud is married to the sumptuous dishes of the restaurant.
I believe there is a reason why you sit stuck in front of the TV when it’s time to watch your favorite show. The excitement fueled by the suspense gets you fixated for as long as the stream of pixels flows.

 

When you are feeling depressed or your emotions are out of balance, you just have this only activity that turns you on. For many, it could be getting entertained with movies, games, or even cruising to their favorite spot in town. For me, I turn to where I can find myself again – writing.
I like delicious meals but I love the artistic decoration of letters birthed by intelligent minds. I like the captivating soap operas and the Hollywood thrillers shot in the field of adventure but show me words molded in the castles of knowledge and I will fall in love once again.
It’s a fact that I love my pen and I get seduced by words that dance deep into the core of the soul. On this path paved with letters and words, I have found my sweet love. My pact with writing is not for fame or influence, it’s an undying passion. I feel at home with myself when I punch the keys to express my naked thoughts.

 

Writing helps in drawing inspiration from nature.

In his bestselling book, The War of Art, American author, Steven Pressfield, said: “Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”
It took me almost half-a-decade before I summoned the audacity to call myself a writer. The consciousness was awakened when I saw my writing as a gift. I hone my skill daily because I want to decorate the gift and make it more appealing.
I write for the love of the craft.

 

It took me almost half-a-decade before I summoned the audacity to call myself a writer. Click To Tweet

The reasons why I write

To inspire

Our brains are wired in a way that there is always a place to insert the plugs of inspiration at any time. I love to inspire others to achieve a goal or pursue their destinies with reinvigorated passion. Words are powerful tools for inspiration and motivation when they are in the right hands. I am strongly against the popular opinion that it is only depressed and frustrated folks that need inspiration, we all need bundles of inspiration at different stages of our lives.
Inspiration is in similitude to a spark, a trigger, a stir, an awakening, a prompting that pushes you into the course of action. I just love to see the glitter in the eyes of my audience while speaking and I enjoy the seraphic smile etched on the faces of my readers when they see my words. The sensation is heavenly!
Over the years, I have built social media pages with a collage of quotes, snippets and short posts that will get you fired up. At other times, I would even deliver spoken word poetry just to inspire someone out there, it’s my simple contribution oozing from a genuine heart. I authored this blog post so you can also write yours and share your beauty with the word.

 

Inspiration is in similitude to a spark, a trigger, a stir, an awakening, a prompting that pushes you into the course of action. Click To Tweet

To educate

The advent of technology has taken education beyond the four walls of the classroom. According to an American author, Alvin Toffler, “The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write but those who cannot learn, relearn and unlearn.” Active learning shows that we are alive and concerned about growth. In my short life, I have had the privilege of teaching students on several occasions in a classroom, I have reached out to many more using digital tools. Right from inception, my innate passion to write withstood the storms of depression because the goal was to educate others through various ways. From sports to politics to writing, the drive was to create value and make readers more aware of the possibilities of their potentials.

My pact with writing is not for fame or influence, it's an undying passion. Click To Tweet

To share my story

Stories have a unique way of showing the treasures you have found in your journey and illustrating the pleasures and pains that have wrestled with your soul. I remembered when I did a series of how I fell in love with writing on Facebook in 2016; it was an interesting outflow of my thoughts about my vicissitudes in the route of literary brilliance. The series mirrored the everyday scuffle of every determined writer with letters. My face was carved in shades of smiles when I saw a lot of my readers inspired to do more. In the end, the sole of aim of sharing my stories has never been to impress anyone or score ego points but to educate my readers. The validation of my claim unfolds itself in the bevy of lessons delicately placed at the doorstep of my readers. An example is a post authored to help people seeking postgraduate admissions in Canada.

” Inspiration is in similitude to a spark, a trigger, a stir, an awakening, a prompting that pushes you into the course of action. ”

To reach out to others

About 7 billion people are on the face of the earth contributing their distinct verses to the unending poetry that makes the world a beautiful place. In the past, reaching out to the world was strenuous and exhausting but the birth of technology is breaking the barriers. Technology in a subtle but profound way is pulling than walls of partition amidst countries and people.
Though I am presently out of Africa, I reach out to others in Nigeria and in different parts of the world via my writing. I reach out to comfort a weary soul, strengthen the feeble knees of others, offer a helping hand to the frail, and encourage the faint-hearted. Words have the capacity to heal and perform miracles – they birth smiles even millions of miles away.

 

I am a smiles contractor and I deliver my goodies via words…

To mentor others

To be honest, teaching others what you know has a multiplier effect. It expands your capacity, it enriches the wells of your insight and proliferates the portals of wisdom resident in you. It’s very likely for you to nurse thoughts that validate your emptiness and you think of yourself as having nothing to offer others. I was in that class until I took a bold step and I realized that I have what others are looking for.
At the beginning of 2017, organizing the online writing movement, Writathon, was a way of mentoring others and sharing with others out of the little things I have learnt. In that period of arduous work and mental exhaustion, I learnt many new things about writing too.

 

 

I feel at home with myself when I punch the keys to express my naked thoughts. Click To Tweet
Today, I am grateful for this gift that gives me the permission to express my unique identity, one stroke at a time.
This piece will be incomplete without letting you know how special you are. Seeing you read my work is a great motivation and it’s the goal of every writer to have more readers. Thanks for the support.
And there you go, it’s your turn to share with me the reasons why you write. What drives the letters out of your pen? Why do you love this passion that occasionally makes your brain to writhe in pains?

 

 

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