Great Rules of Writing

I saw this little ditty by William Safire and thought it was worth passing along.  :)  Mr. Safire was a long-time syndicated political columnist for the New York Times and a regular contributor to "On Language" in the New York Times Magazine.

"Great Rules of Writing"

Do not put statements in the negative form.

And don't start sentences with a conjunction.

If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.

De-accession euphemisms.

If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.