1. Always spell-check or have a 2nd pair of eyes check for you.

2. Be concise and clear. Don’t use too much jargon.

3. Never assume your reader understands what you’re talking about.

4. Know how to use grammar properly. It can make the difference between (the book) “Eats Shoots & Leaves” or “Eats, Shoots & Leaves.” Completely different ideas!

5. Be creative in your writing but not “flowery.”

6. Know how to write for different audiences – consumer or business, etc.

7. When writing a speech, keep it under 5 minutes or you lose people’s attention.

8. When writing on a particular topic, be sure to research your facts, before you make assumptions or provide incorrect information.

9. Use a tape recorder when interviewing someone so you quote them properly and accurately.

10. When writing a sales letter, be sure to include a call to action, the how and why your company is better than your competition.

Sooner or later as part of doing research for your writing projects, you will have to track down and interview an expert. Does this thought give you chest pains and make it hard to breath? Take heart. Published or unpublished, writers are like duck billed platypuses; people are fascinated by them. This truth ought to make the thought of approaching an expert for an interview a little less intimidating.

Post-it Notes are an unorganized writer’s best friend. I use them to remind me about details of the character physical description and background. I tack the notes on my armoire desk, so when I have forgotten the color of a character’s eyes or how many years he or she spent in the army, all I have to do is look up and the information is right in front of me.

I am convinced that succeeding as a writer long term is 70% learning how to manage the emotional ups and down and 30% skill, discipline, and timing. There are three things you can do to win the emotional battle: separate your identity from your successes and failures as a writer, find cheerleaders who believe in you and can speak encouragement into your life, and finally, seek out a healthy writing community, online or in person, where writers support each other a offers shoulders to cry on when needed.

The secret for plotting a really great mystery? Drop a body in the first couple of pages, have a bunch a people skulking around acting and doing suspicious things, and when things get boring, drop another body.

Treat writing like a real job. Clean yourself up, put on some nice clohtes and sit down in front of the computer. Make an agreement to stay in that chair writing for however much time your schedule allows. Don’t cheat your boss out of time by checking emails and making coffee.