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March 27, 2007

The Writing Life: Rules to Laugh By

Category: Word Play, Writing Life, Writing Technique – Admin – 8:39 pm

Where would we be without humor?

Credit for the following list belongs to lotsofjokes.com:

Avoid alliteration. Always.

Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)

Employ the vernacular.

Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

Contractions aren’t necessary.

Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

One should never generalize.

Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

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.

Understatement is always best.

One-word sentences? Eliminate.

Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

The passive voice is to be avoided.

Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

Who needs rhetorical questions?

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2 Responses to “The Writing Life: Rules to Laugh By”

  1. Your site is great, JJ. And I’m thrilled to be able to post a comment and tell you that.

    Best wishes and much success.

    Always

    Linda Della Donna

    http://www.littleredmailbox.com

     

    Comment by Linda DellaDonna — March 28, 2007 @ 6:01 pm

  2. Bless you, Linda.

    Comment by Admin — March 29, 2007 @ 4:39 am

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