Learn from the pros. Writers of novels, copywriters, writers now dead, and those writers who create lists of rules can teach us how to become a better writer.

This list of tips from the pros, gathered for your quick consumption, is internet-primed, just the way you like it: fast, free, and fun.

Keep it clear and concise.

Demian Farnworth tells us on Copybot “The Only Rule You Need to Worry About” is clear copy. That’s it. The rest will follow, he assures us.

One sentence will lead to the next when you write it so your readers are clear on its meaning. Just get that first sentence down.

But don’t get all wordy in the process. In A Writer’s Companion, Richard Marius addresses some of the common problems with wordiness and redundancies. Problems include free gift (a gift is free), final outcome (eliminate final), full and complete (use only one), future plans (all plans involve the future), in a position to (replace with “can”), due to the fact that (replace with “because”), and in the event of (use “if”).

The opening line.

It all begins with the first line. Snag your readers here – followed by a killer headline  – or you’ll lose ‘em before the second sentence.

So craft a terrific second sentence too. And write a clincher of a third sentence to keep them reading. And so on.

Books are quoted for their best opening sentences. Check out the ones on your bookshelves to see how they stand as openers. Try these on for size. They’re short, raise questions, and set the tone for what’s to come.

• Introduce character: “Marley was dead, to begin with …” Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
• Shock value: “My mother was a whore, and I loved her very much.” Mary Brown, Pigs Don’t Fly
• Keep it simple: “This is what happened.” Stephen King, The Mist
• Tone setter: “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The short of it.

I had an English professor who used John Grisham’s page turners to demonstrate the use of short sentences, short paragraphs, and short chapters. The result is it’s hard to put his books down. When you realize there’s only a couple more paragraphs until you finish the chapter, and only a few chapters left until you’re halfway finished with the book, you keep reading.

With web writing it’s even more important to hold your reader’s short attention span as they barrel through internet at high speed. Keep things short. Three words work. I mean it. Two even. No kidding.

But don’t forget to throw in a longer sentence now and again to mix things up and create a flow.

Adverbs are like dandelions.

Stephen King warns us in On Writing about the proliferative quality of adverbs, and to avoid them like you would the weeds that they are.

If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day . . . fifty the day after that . . . and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s — GASP!! — too late.

Watch out for adverbs in dialogue tags.

“What do you think?” she asked innocently.

“Here we go again,” she responded tiredly.

“Tell me what happened!” she said excitedly.

Grammar goofs aren’t funny.

Copyblogger lists 15 of the most common grammar goofs and how to fix them. Too many goofs and you will look the fool.

The choice between fewer and less is a tricky one. If it’s something you can count, then use fewer. If you can’t count it, then use less. Grocery stores get this wrong all the time.

Another often misused word is who and whom. Use whom if there are two subjects.

• Incorrect: His brother, who he said would send him the money.
• Correct: His brother, whom he said would send him the money.

Break the rules.

First you must know the rules in order to break them. In The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, we are shown an impressive list of rules.

But rules are like safety protocols on a Starship holodeck. They’re a good idea to use because without them, even holobullets can kill. But sometimes it’s okay to turn them off and play dangerously.

“It was a dark and stormy night” is Madeleine L’Engle’s first line in A Wrinkle in Time. She broke the no-cliche rule to great effect. When you break a rule, do it with purpose.

“Really, really shitty first drafts.”

Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird helps us to let go of our writing fears. Forget about the discouraging voices in your head. Write whatever comes through, as if it’s a child’s first draft.

Anne tells us that if you hear, “Well, so what Mr. Poopy Pants?,” you write it. No one has to see it.

And if you’re hearing “radio station KFKD, or K-F**ked” playing in your brain, don’t give up. It’s all very normal. Those inner demons can’t stop you from getting that first draft done.

Oh, and don’t forget to edit. Mr. Poopy Pants won’t be offended if you cross him off the cast of characters.

Website writing do’s and don’ts made simple and straightforward, just like it’s supposed to be. You’ll find readability checkers, the grammar nazi, and other insanely valuable links.

#1

Do promote yourself and have a call to action.

Don’t bore your readers by talking about yourself.

When asking your audience to do something, don’t try to persuade them by simply talking about your product. The hard-core sales pitch doesn’t cut it any longer in an over-hyped, digital age where people are bombarded with sales messages in every facet of communication: television, radio, billboards, banner ads, popup ads, email, blog posts, and embedded social media posts.

When you give them a call to action, follow it up with a compelling reason why. Tell them what the benefits are for buying your product, receiving your email updates, or coming to your event.

Do this by using the most powerful word in the English language: because.

According to Viralnomics, a psychological study found that when someone used the word “because” when asking to cut in line to make copies, people were 93% more likely to let them cut. Even when the reason they gave was no different than what everyone else standing in line was doing.

“May I use the Xerox machine, because I need to make copies?” Why, yes, since you put it that way!

#2

Do write for someone with common sense.

Don’t try so hard to sound intelligent that you forget about the man on the Clapham omnibus.

In Britain, the English courts decide how to rule based on the average joe and how he would approach the situation. If the man on the Clapham omnibus thinks what you said was reasonable, then you’re good to go.

As a benchmark when you are writing, consider the reasonably educated but nondescript man in the back of the bus, and write for someone with common sense. Your writing needs to be simple and straightforward so your readers can understand you.

When I was in journalism school, they taught us the rule of K.I.S.S. If you keep it simple stupid, your average reader will think what you write is right on target.

#3

Do write like you speak.

Don’t try for inflated, professional writing that sounds like legalize.

Good business writing has no place on your website, email, or anywhere you actually want people to read what you write. Get rid of the corporate jargon and cold formality and write something interesting that will distinguish you from the crowd.

When you want to warn someone they are in imminent danger, which warning is more effective?

a. Look out!

b. It is highly advisable that you adopt a course of action that will rapidly move you to a safer locale.

In writing, communicating the same way you speak will get your ideas across more efficiently and clearly. Check the readability of your writing at Readability-score.com. It gives a report of your writing sample’s grade level based on five readability formulas.

The Writer’s readability checker explains the different readability formulas and gives you a comparison chart to other types of writing once you enter in your sample. This post rated a grade level of 9, which is the same for the BBC News site. The Flesch-Kincaid reading ease score is used the most; it’s built into Word and the U.S. military uses it for their technical manuals.

#4

Do use relevant keywords.

Don’t write to include keywords or engage in keyword stuffing.

Including keywords that people will use to search for you makes sense. Structuring your writing to include as many keywords as possible doesn’t. Creating high quality content is essential for SEO.

Doing keyword research is still important. Check out Copyblogger’s free keyword research guides. To learn what keywords and their variants Google found when crawling your site, use Webmaster Tools. After selecting your site on Webmaster Tools dashboard, click on Google Index, then Content Keywords.

If you’re being penalized for misuse of keywords, you can find out by clicking on Search Traffic, then Manual Actions.

#5

Do aim for perfection in grammar and spelling.

Don’t let your pursuit of perfection come at the expense of more important things.

Hitting publish before you proofread is a wise move, but striving for perfection to the degree that you’re crippling your creative genius is unproductive.

As Seth Godin says, “no one reads a comic strip because it’s drawn well.” Don’t let your need for perfectionism overcome writing something your audience wants to hear.

Find someone else to proofread your work for mistakes. If you must do it, then read over your writing several hours later, read it aloud, and, if you’re extra cautious, read it backwards, sentence by sentence.

Occasionally, typos happen. Just as the minced oath “stuff happens” describes the existential observation that life is filled with imperfections, your website copy will have an error.  Or two.

Just pray the Grammar Nazi doesn’t find you.