A few years ago, my brother sent these writing tips. I have no idea who the author is. Enjoy.
1. Avoid alliteration. Always
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren't necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "i hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
12. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
13. Don't be redundant: don't use more words than necessary; it's superfluous.
14. Be more or less specific.
15. Understatement is always best.
16. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
18. The passive voice is to be avoided.
19. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms
20. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Aren't you funny.
Hey, glad to see you posted on your own blog . . . I missed you there.
Wonderful humor.Thanks for posting it.
Too funny, Mary. The further I read down the list, the funnier the anecdote. Which wise-acre brother sent it to you?
These are brilliant. Thanks, Mary.
Very cute, Mary.
Oh, and I know, I know, I know the answer to the "who's missing?" foot photo.
What's up with that?
Thank you for the insightful tips. I shall now go re-do my entire blog to make it comply more with "the way it should be." ;)
Post a Comment