My rules of writing
Write like you’re speaking to a friend.
Write quickly.
Publish your writing. It’s a forcing function.
Write your draft, then delete your first paragraph.
Write and edit in separate sessions.
Do not use jargon. Children should be able to understand.
Assume your reader knows zilch about your topic.
But don’t baby your reader.
If you’ve ever read something that made you laugh out loud, it’s okay to try to be funny.
Vary your sentence length.
Use periods instead of colons, semi-colons, or dashes.
Write like you’re paying $1 for each word.
Edit like you get paid $1 for every word cut.
Read out loud when you edit.
Avoid “is” as a verb. Find a more compelling verb. E.g. instead of “he is happy,” write “He radiates joy.”
Use simple words 99% of the time. But for that last 1%, as Mark Twain said:
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
Remember that Word Nazis exist, and as annoying as they are, it’s a good discipline to appease them by using words precisely. Classic example: “unique” is an absolute, as is “perfect,” “correct,” and “pregnant.” Something’s either unique or not. It can’t be “particularly unique” or “less unique” or “extremely unique.”
If you don’t like what you’re writing about, pick something else.
Better to write poorly than not write at all.