1) Avoid beginning sentences with weak words, such as: it is, there is, there are, there were.

2) Avoid being redundant--using two or more words that basically mean the same thing.

3) Avoid foreign languages, unless you're using a term, or phrase, you're certain everyone will understand.

4) Avoid stating the obvious—Don't tell readers what they probably already know.

5) Avoid using adjectives and adverbs. Instead, try to use stronger nouns and verbs. This is what people mean when they say, "Use an active voice, not a passive voice."

6) Avoid using dialogue tags whenever possible. Use actions instead.

7) Avoid using a character's name in dialogue when speaking to them. After all, they already know their name.

8) Be clear. Make your writing as simple and easy to understand as possible.

9) Capitals: Do not capitalize words in the middle of a sentence Just To Provide Emphasis.

10) Do not repeat a word unless you need it for clarity or emphasis.

11) Do not overuse commas. They interrupt the flow of the story and can cause confusion.

12) Ellipsis: The ellipsis is a series of three -- and ONLY THREE -- full stops used to mark missing words, an uncertain pause, or an abrupt interruption.

13) Do not use excessive punctuation. Only use one exclamation point or question mark at the end of a sentence.

14) Do not use unnecessary words. Keep your writing concise, and interesting.

15) Don't use excessive description. Only describe things that are important to the story.

16) Do not explain too much. Readers aren't stupid. Don't tell them what they already know. Also, don't tell them things they don't need to know.

17) Eliminate unnecessary 'who', 'that', 'which' clauses

18) Keep it simple. Use words that are small and easy to understand.

19) Keep sentences as short as possible. Although, you can vary sentence lengths.

20) Numbers: Numbers of ten or less are normally written as words.

21) One page, one scene: Each page should only contain one scene.

22) Reduce the number of 'is' sentences.

23) Remove to be words whenever possible.

24) Try to avoid beginning too many sentences with the same word or words, unless you are going for a particular literary effect.

25) Keep paragraphs short if possible, or have an assortment of long and short paragraphs, but don’t make the long ones too long. If a paragraph is too long readers may lose their concentration and quit reading. Also, long paragraphs are hard for people with certain vision problems to follow.

26) Try to use words everyone will understand. Using slang, foreign phrases, dialects, and technical terminology may confuse many readers.

27) Whenever possible, avoid using clauses like: who are, which was, that were, the fact that, due to, and because of

28) Symbolism-Have you decided what types of symbols you might use and where?

29) Spaces: Modern style is to use a single space at the end of a sentence, not two.

30) Use active verbs rather than passive verbs.

31) Write naturally. In other words, write the way you think and talk.

32) Name your characters consistently. For instance: If you're writing a sci-fi story don't start out giving your characters names like Doran, and Zorak, and then throw in characters with names like Bill and Bob. Unless of course, they're two different species.

33) Your first sentence should contain a hook that will grab your reader's interest. Dialogue is often a good way to start. For example: "The body's over there, in the trash behind the dumpster." How many questions would that sentence raise in the mind of a reader?

34) Then tell us: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Who is the character that has a conflict? What is the conflict? Where are the story and the conflict taking place? When are the story and conflict taking place? Why are they happening in this time and place? How will the story and the conflict come to a successful conclusion?

35) The first page must continue to hold your reader’s attention, which is why this is often a good place to introduce your main character and give an indication of the conflict he/she faces. If you can keep them interested long enough to turn to the second page, you can be almost certain they are hooked.

36) Epiphany-Will any of your characters suddenly realize exactly what's happening and what needs to be done?

37) Exposition-Have you explained why these characters are here and what they are trying to accomplish?

38) Make transitions smoothly. Don't just jump from one place to the next. You have to show your reader how you got from point A to point B.

39) Be careful when showing how you got from point A to point B. Don't give us a long list of steps the character took.

For example: Jill woke up. She shut off her alarm clock. She threw back the covers and got out of bed. She got dressed. She opened her bedroom door and walked slowly down the long narrow hallway to the kitchen. She filled the teakettle, put it on the stove, turned on the burner, got out a cup, and sat at the table to wait for the kettle to boil. YEEEEEEEEEESH!

40) Get us from point A to point B painlessly. Jill hopped out of bed, threw on her clothes, haphazardly ran a brush through her hair, and then scurried down the hall to the kitchen. She dropped on a chair and began writing her to do list for the day, while she waited for the teakettle to boil.

41) Make it exciting.

For example: The woman walked slowly up to the bar and ordered a drink. (DULL)

Chantelle slithered up to the bar, tossed back her long main of auburn hair, and in a sultry voice said, “Give me a tall Gin Fizz.”

42) Start where the action is, and use a lot of action. Dialogue is much more interesting and effective when accompanied by a suitable action.

43) Remember that each action should be followed by a suitable reaction.

44) Use action and description in both narrative and dialogue.

45) Use dialogue that is appropriate to the age and social stature of your characters.

46) Use narrative and dialogue appropriate to the time and location of your story.

47) Make the reader identify with characters. Appeal to your reader's senses. Try to get your readers emotionally involved in your story. What does your character smell? hear? see? feel? taste? Use vivid imagery to make your reader experience the things your character experiences. If your character cries, your reader should too.

48) Make your reader feel weather. If weather plays a part in your story use descriptions that are vivid enough to make your reader feel as if they are right there experiencing the weather.

49) Make sure the reader knows who is speaking.

50) If you must use a dialogue tag, keep it simple. He said/she said, or he asked/ she asked are just fine for almost any dialogue and won't distract the reader from the story.

51) Dialogue – Give your characters physical or verbal traits that will allow the reader to know without a tag who is speaking or acting. Having a character repeat certain words or phrases is a good way to indicate who is speaking.

52) Dialogue: Subtext A lot of what is important in a dialogue is what the character does not say, or what is implied by what the character does say. Think of a situation people would have a hard time speaking candidly about, like telling your parents that you failed a class or a parent telling a child that they were moving. Write a line for a character and then write below it what the character was actually thinking when he/she said it.

53) Show, don’t tell. Use your character’s dialogue to show how they feel. Avoid saying things like: Julia felt sad, or Michael was angry. Instead, try something like this:“I never thought you would treat me this way, Michael.” Tears rolled down Julia's cheeks.“I never made you any promises, and I won't start now!” Michael stomped out of the room.

54) Read your story out loud to see if it reads smoothly and makes sense.

55) Join a critique group. If there are no writers' groups in your area, then join an online group. There are thousands of them to choose from.

56) Give your story to someone you trust and ask them to read it and give you their opinion. Just make sure you ask the right person. It won't do much good if you ask someone who only reads historical romance to give you their opinion on a sci-fi/horror story.

57) Edit and rewrite. Edit and rewrite. Edit and rewrite. Keep doing this until you're absolutely certain that your story is the best it can be.