December 17, 2020

The 12 Rules of Writing

The holidays are here! 

This year, instead of calories, chaos, and commercialism, how about we do something a little different? 

For this holiday season, I've put together a veritable yuletide of handy writing tips for better business and technical writing. I hope these suggestions help make 2021 your most polished and professional ever.  

Cue the music, maestro!

(My apologies to fans of "The Twelve Days of Christmas.") 

On the twelfth day of writing, my editor said to me
Apostrophes aren't for plurals.
Alternate your numbers.
Phrase consistently
Length's not the problem
Don't hide your verbs
Don't stack your nouns
Which is not that
Get to the point
Month Year needs no comma
Structure your text
Simple is always good

Finding this post useful? Sign up to be notified when the next one comes out.

Yes, Notify Me

Related Posts

THIS is why I don’t trust software

THIS is why I don’t trust software

Dyslexia: Disability or Superpower?

Dyslexia: Disability or Superpower?

Which Who Is That? A Primer on Using Relative Pronouns

Which Who Is That? A Primer on Using Relative Pronouns

There, There: How (and When) to Avoid Weak Sentences

There, There: How (and When) to Avoid Weak Sentences

Oh, the Irony! The Logic Behind Non-hyphenated vs. Hyphenated Terms

Oh, the Irony! The Logic Behind Non-hyphenated vs. Hyphenated Terms

About the author

Originally trained as a research scientist, Molly McBeath cut her technical teeth on water quality, electrochemistry, and nuclear waste remediation. Realizing that she was happier at the keyboard than in a lab coat, she transitioned to technical writing and editing. Now she combines her scientific training with persuasive writing techniques to tell meaningful stories with a technical twist.

Tweet0
Share0

Looking for more writing samples?

Much of what I do is under non-disclosure, but here are some
other public examples of my work.

 Show more examples