One rule for good writing - by Henry Oliver

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Writing is Darwinian not Newtonian

Since I hate Orwell’s writing rules so much, and in preparation for my debate about those rules with Robert Cottrell, I have been thinking about what writing rules, if any, I would agree with. One of my objections to Orwell is that there are no true rules of writing because language is Darwinian not Newtonian: it is not a fixed system; it changes as you use it. People defend Orwell on the basis that his rules can produce good work. Maybe. But a rule has to be more widely applicable than that to meet the adaptability of all the situations language works in. In many many situations Orwell’s…

One rule for good writing - by Henry Oliver

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