Photo by Ben Schumin (Wikimedia Commons)

1. Use proper spelling and grammar so your work is comprehensible.
2. Don’t bore the reader.

Most decent writers can follow the first rule almost intuitively. But oddly enough, the second rule seems to not even be on the radar for many people, and it’s critically important if you want to get your message across. Nobody wants to read fluffy, flabby writing: It obscures the point, drowning your message in worthless prattle. And one frequently used bit of grammatical fluffery, which shows up all too often in people’s writing, is known as the expletive construction. Read more ›

I’ve been writing nearly every day since I was ten. I’ve heard all kinds of crazy advice on writing, from an assortment of fairly unimpressive to very authoritative sources. If you’ve gone to school, write as a hobby, or work in the field now, you probably have a similar story. You’ve possibly already experienced some really bad writing advice and maybe even taken it to heart.

There are some truly horrendous “rules of thumb” out there that I’ve heard over the years in reference to screenwriting, article-writing, or even poetry that range from originally good advice applied too liberally to flat-out lies that began with one reputable person’s odd prejudices. Here’s just a sampling of some of the worst. Read more ›