- If you feel that striking one specific word from the text won’t make the text any less nice and/or well-written, then you must strike that word.
- On a related note, don’t use two words if you feel that one single word can replace them with no loss of text quality. (Unless you’re writing for NaNoWriMo, haha.)
- Don’t use the same dialogue tag twice in a row. it stands out. Always. (Except for “said,” of course.)
- If you’re including a long flashback, make sure that the readers don’t mind the main plot being stopped.
- Your friends and your family can’t give objective advice on your writing. No. Listen to me. They can’t.
- If your novel includes SF or fantasy elements, make sure that the occurrence of fantastical elements is made clear reasonably early in the story.
- It’s not true that adverbs are inherently bad, but it is true that “he yelled” is better than “he said loudly.”
- When you’re using other dialogue tags than the usual “said” or “asked,” make sure that there’s a need for the specific dialogue tag you’re using. Don’t have characters mutter their lines unless muttering is required specifically.
- Most importantly: Never, e v e r follow writing advice until you understand what the thought behind it is.