The article got me thinking about some of the best writing advice I've ever received. My dad, an editor, always reminded me to KISS--Keep it Simple, Stupid (or Silly, for the politically correct). My college professor told me to take out every conjugation of the verb "to be"--he fixed my passive voice problem right quick.
Now that I teach writing, I find that I frequently dispense these bits of advice to my students:
1) Get In, and Get Out, AKA "Name That Tune In Fewer Notes." Efficient writing is effective writing. State your point clearly and concisely, and move on. And if you can say it in fewer, more specific words, so much the better. That said, sometimes the exception to this rule is more important; once in a while the most efficient way to convey an emotion, a scene, a tone emerges from luxuriating in a well-crafted, thoroughly-descriptive sentence.
2) Don't Fall In Love. Once upon a time, I taught a student who had a hard time editing his work. He couldn't figure out what to cut, what to whittle, or what to add. I had to tell him not to fall in love with his writing--anything can go at any time, and sometimes, we have to throw out some good writing to get to some great writing.
Admittedly, this advice is often far easier to give than to take, but I try to keep it in mind in my own writing, whether it's for a blog post, comment on a paper, or a tweet.
What writing advice have you been given, and how has it shaped your writing?
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