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Thursday, January 13, 2005

Writing Techniques

** Avoid alliteration. Always.
** Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
** Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
** Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
** Contractions aren't necessary.
** Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
** One should never generalize. [--> my favorite ]
** Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
** Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
** Be more or less specific.
** One-word sentences? Eliminate.
** Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
** Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
** Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
** Who needs rhetorical questions?
** Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

2 Comment/s:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

well i have certain contentions about these things...

alliteration sometimes works if you want to, ahem, "blur the genres." one-word sentences add drama. analogies make things a little more interesting, especially if they're phrases you'd never expect.

but of course, these will all work well when used in moderation.

p.s. understatements rock.

my thoughts, anyway. :)

-ia

1/13/2005 5:18 PM  
Blogger Drakulita said...

where did you get this? :D

1/30/2005 6:25 PM  

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