Note: all my latest storytelling notes are now on the PipDecks site.
There are tens of thousands of words swilling around us every day, so we have to make ours count if we want people to listen to our ideas. So many of us fail because we end up using jargon and cliche instead of original words. Jargon comes from insecurity (see blog post here). We use cliches when we are stuck for words – but they are dangerous because we are letting someone else do our thinking for us.
George Orwell suggested writers should delay as long as possible putting their ideas into words and use images or sensations first. This exercise is based on his advice.
You need: 20 – 30 minutes, pen and paper.
Credit: George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language is a cry from the heart to save good ideas from terrible writing.
Stories That Work 