Omit unnecessary words. Make every sentence contribute to the point you want to make. Use paragraphs as your arguments. Go through a piece and ask, is this word/clause/sentence/paragraph really necessary? Does it add to the reader’s understanding of the topic, or is it just wind? And once you’ve taken out any fluff, go over it again and ask, do my paragraphs flow clearly from one to the next? Do my arguments build logically on each other?
Avoid passive voice. Whenever possible, rewrite sentences to make them active. You can usually rewrite sentences that begin with “There is” or “There are” to make them more active.
Avoid future tense.
Avoid cliches and overused phrases such as “That’s where ProductX comes in,” “Enter ProductX,” and “last but not least.”
Spell out all abbreviations on first reference: “Open Source Technology Group (OSTG)”
Spell out words on first reference: say “application” before you refer to “apps.”
Spell out numerals less than 10, unless they refer to amounts with units. Use numerals for numbers greater than nine.
[tags]english,writing,article,rules,blogging[/tags]
