Today, in Admission Ticket's second post in a series of tips on writing the MBA admissions essay that will get you accepted, we'd like to share some wisdom on writing well from two of the best writers in the history of the English language: Kurt Vonnegut and George Orwell. They had quite a bit of experience polishing their craft – it’s safe to say both authors spent far more time sharpening their pen than the 10,000 hours Malcolm Gladwell has proposed it takes to master any discipline. From their many years of writing, editing, and revising, they distilled some simple rules to help the rest of us write better.
First, Vonnegut:
1. Find a subject you care about.
2. Do not ramble, though.
3. Keep it simple.
4. Have the guts to cut.
5. Sound like yourself.
6. Say what you mean to say.
7. Pity the readers.
Next, Orwell's rules for writing, which he first articulated in his essay “Politics and the English Language”:
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.
We hope these points can help serve as a guide as you write your admissions essay. If ever you are in need of professional assistance with your essay, please feel free to reach out to us.
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