Check Your Spelling & Punctuation
KILL 'AND'
Replace almost every "AND" with "BUT", "SO", or "[period]".
(The period is the almighty, under-rated superhero of literature.
The period is more powerful than a comma, a semicolon, a colon or the mind-numbing conjunction "and".)
Use the word βandβ in lists.
(Bill and Jane went to the store.)
Don't use βandβ to connect clauses or sentences.
(Bill quit work and bought a car.)
Examples:
Bob punches Jill AND smiles. (SUCK!)
Bob punches Jill. BUT he smiles. (maybe)
Bob punches Jill. SO he smiles. (good)
Bob punches Jill. He smiles. (simple, readable, powerful)
Apostrophes For Contraction vs. Possessive Pronouns
its = possessive; "its beauty".
it's = "it is"; "it's beautiful".
Plural vs. Singular Possessive
dogs' food = more than 1 dog;
dog's food = 1 dog
Abhor Adjectives And Adverbs
Kill all adverbs. Kill all adjectives.
That's the goal anyway.
Avoid modifiers like you avoid car accidents and infections.
The Eternal Active Now (Aorist Aspect)
In a properly-polished screenplay, nothing "IS"; no things "ARE"; and nothing "INGS".
Not screenplay: Bob
Yes screenplay: Bob walks.
Speak To 7 Year-Olds
Kill all impressive words like "erudite", unless they're in the dialog of some prig you're going to kill off.
Bust Bad Word Habits
Eliminate words that you habitually and unnecessarily repeat.
Know Irregular Usages
LYing on the bed.
LAYing down the basket.
Dashes
Make all your em dashes like this:
text before the dashβtext after the dash
Use Grown-Up Grammar
Reread "Fowlerβs Modern Usage" and Strunk & Whiteβs "The Elements of Style".
