Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I wrote a book based on this list. With my wife. It’ll be in bookstores next spring!

My Kit Bag: Rules for Writing

USE STRONG VERBS: Replace weak verbs, which are imprecise (walked, stood), with strong verbs, which are specific to the action described (trudged, malingered).

QUESTION BEING AND HAVING: The verbs “to be” and “to have” are the weakest of all verbs; by nature static, they slow a narrati

KEEP IT ACTIVE: Pay attention to words that end in ‘ed or ‘en and are preceded by a form of “to be,” and watch out for -ing endings; try flipping the sentence to get it more active.

STICK WITH SAID: When attributing a quote, “said” is the default verb; the reader’s attention is on who said it, now how it was said.

DON’T SHOW OFF: Let others be erudite; your job is to befriend your reader.

PREFER ANGLO-SAXON WORDS: Favor shorter, punchier Anglo-Saxon words (crash, hurl), over fancy, abstract Latinate words (collision, propel).

SOUND NATURAL: Unless you’re writing a technical manual, keep your language conversational and use modern speech patterns.

TRUST YOUR VOICE: Your natural voice has its own tempo, pitch, ease, and overall sound; let it ring out.

QUESTION TRANSITIONS: Transitional phrases (then, next, when, meanwhile, however) are not needed unless a gap in time or logic has opened.

LINK SENTENCES WITH SEMICOLONS: If two sentences are tightly linked, and one progresses from the other, consider separating them with a semicolon.

DROP “VERY” AND OTHER CRUTCH WORDS: The word “very” seldom improves a sentence.

JETTISON [ALL THOSE] TINY WORDS: Remove the clutter of short words (pronouns, prepositions, connectors).

DRESS UP “THIS”: Pronouns are hard for readers to follow, especially “this” and “it.”

REMOVE THE BORING STUFF: Spend less time defending what you’ve written, and more time revealing the truth.

REFRESH YOUR WORDS: Don’t repeat a distinctive word unless you must.

KNOW YOUR WORDS INSIDE AND OUT: Examining the etymology of words makes them more concrete and useful to your writing.

STAY IN TUNE: The better word is both precise and unnoticed; a thesaurus is your book of magic spells.

FIND THE HIDDEN METAPHOR: Metaphors mirror humdrum experiences through elegant comparison; in the hands of an expert, they both illuminate and offer depth of field.

TWIST CLICHES: We already think in cliches; you owe it to your reader’s search for novelty to remove or deconstruct your hackneyed phrases.

KNOCK THREE TIMES: For a series of terms to land, you usually need three.

STRETCH OUT: Long sentences require attention to detail, conjunctions, and rhythm—and a payoff at the end.

SHORT SELLS: Interrupt lyrical or otherwise long passages with an abrupt, short sentence.

GIVE YOUR SENTENCE A FINALE: Even if you begin your sentence with a punch, end it stronger.

CRYSTALLIZE YOUR DIALOGUE: Dialogue needs to be as zippy and economical as the rest of the book.

IN FICTION, ARCHETYPE YOUR CHARACTERS: Below the human stereotypes are psychological patterns that readers intuitively expect.

SHOW, THEN TELL: Begin with the concrete—what happened—and after, when appropriate, riff on judgment of the consequences.

GIVE THEM A HERO’S WELCOME: Start off by telling the reader who to root for.

ONCE IS ENOUGH: Keep your first description of a character or place distinctive enough that you aren’t tempted to add to it later.

SMELL THE ROSES: Sight is only one of five senses; let your readers also enjoy touch, sounds, smell, and taste.

DON’T FILTER: Don’t point out that someone is thinking, opining, or experiencing what is already happening on the page.

TRUST YOUR READER: Your reader will fill in the gaps; you only need to be complete enough.

LAYER YOUR SENTENCES: Sentences convey more than information; their other purposes must be tended.

WRITE THE HARD STUFF: Don’t shy from the big mysteries of life.

BREAK THE RULES: A rule may be of universal use, but need not be universally used.

FINISH THE DAMN THING: Your job is to complete the project; the final quality and consequences are not yet your business.

WORSHIP (TALENTED) EDITORS: Writing is collaborative, and editors save your skin.