Orwell on sincerity

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity

When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.

- George Orwell

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Added 9 July

This post has sparked some intriguing debate. Makes me want to suggest people read Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson. And of course Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones and Manjushvara’s Wolf at the Door.

Any other recommendations?

You Think, I Think, We Think (Better) Together

Been reading reviews about Charles Leadbetter’s book We Think all over the place. Got to get my hands on a copy sooon (come on Rosie, hand it over).

If anyone is trying to get their heads around Web 2.0, social media, new paradigm thinking and all that claptrap - get a look at this. Lovely simple animation. I’m going to use it at the beginning of all my courses. Free event coming up soon to give people a taste of it all. Watch this space.

Guardian review here (including Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky) which also looks reeal good.

Shame The Big Issue review isn’t available online. A different and very valid take on things.

No wonder most journalist’s I meet are annoyed with blogging and What’s Going On with we-think.

No wonder I am compelled to work in and support this space.

So glad Rosie Sherry is in it with me (thanks for the video).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiP79vYsfbo&hl=en]

Free E-Book on the Essence of Authentic Blogging

Here’s a living document I prepared for our first three groups of budding bloggers. I feel a collaborative book coming on.

Not sure I see myself in the same light as the company I am keeping in this collection, but some wonderful people to be gaining inspiration from all the same. David Bohm, Carl Rogers, Carl Jung, Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, The Cluetrain folk, Scoble, Meerman Scott (in some order of importance).

We see this as essential reading for anyone on a quest for personal and professional growth through blogging, but it is a very first draft. Stay tuned for more…

Have a read and let me know which quotes resonate most for you…

FREE E-BOOK on the Essence of Authentic Blogging
More posts on writing to help get your words flowing…

Write like you talk

Two of us sat there yesterday in the midst of the Meme Mamma’s Monday group, listening to Lucy West talk her Journey Work talk. She really knows her stuff. I hope to tell you a little more about each of the founding course participants when they give me the okay.

Sarah and I said, just blog the way you talk. She was right on it. Clear, coherent, flowing, passionate and highly engaging.

I found this post at the legendary Kathy Sierra’s blog Creating Passionate Users.

Conversational writing kicks formal writing’s ass

Okay, she’s American, and proud of it. That aside Kathy says a whole lot about writing style in the new online paradigm and many other worlds besides.

Hope it helps you talk your talk, and connect with others who share your passions.

This is also a grand example of a blog that PASSIONATELY engages the audience. Wow, look at the comments and discussion on this one post alone. She has been around for a long time, blogging, publishing, speaking out publically and has at times been highly controversial. My guess is, Kathy has always been pretty Authentic. She is who she is. She takes risks.