- Writing should engage the senses. Be concrete rather than abstract, particular rather than general.
- Write with nouns and vigorous Anglo-Saxon derived verbs rather than with adjectives and adverbs.
- Disperse with the "little qualifiers". a little, a bit, rather, sort of, kind of, quite, very, pretty (as in much), slightly, mostly, etc.
- Beware of the word "there". It is a deadener of prose.
- Except in special circumstances choose the active over the passive voice.
- Put statements in positive form.
- Omit needless words.
- Beware of the extended use of the habitual case: would. Ex. In the morning he would leap out of bed early, he would don his boots and slosh down a cup of coffee. Usually he would fight with his wife, then he would go outside with his shotgun.
- Strive to make the mechanics of writing invisible.
- Beware of shifts in diction level.
- Strive for sentence variety and focus.
- Beware of faulty rhythm.
- Beware of accidental rhyme.
- Beware of comma-spliced "run-on" sentences. Split long sentences in two or make appropriate use of the semicolon.
- Never explain needlessly.
- Beware of the inappropriate use of introductory phrases containing infinite (ing) verbs: "Looking up slowly from her sewing, Martha said..."
- Avoid cliches.
OK. Enough of that. Public service announcement for today has concluded.
