Every year, on the first day of the course I teach, my students get a handout on what I call the "rules of writing" (although only the first is a hard-and-fast rule). And, I figured it would be worth sharing here:

1. ALWAYS WRITE ABOUT THE IMPORTANT SHIT.

2. Never fall in love with your own prose.

3. Write with skill, not art. When the skill is there, the art will flow through it.

4. Clarity always comes first – never use specialized language or complicated prose unless you have to.

5. Never forget that every word, sentence, and paragraph is a tool, with its own strengths and weaknesses – and always use the right tools for the job.

6. Whenever you can, read your prose aloud – the ear will often catch what the eyes miss.

7. Don’t draw attention to structure – content is always king.