25 Rules To Pack More Punch Into Your Writing

By Chris Whamond on February 1, 2009 — No comments

Want a quick “cheat sheet” of 25 powerful rules that will make your writing more powerful, readable and effective?

Here it is. This list comes courtesy of Rudolf Flesch, who led the push for “shirtsleeve”, conversational English in writing and speaking.

I keep this list of 25 rules attached to the side of my computer monitor and double-check most of my writing against it. Here they are:

Rudolf Flesch’s 25 Rules

• Write about people, things and facts.
• Write as you talk.
• Use contractions.
• Use the 1st person.
• Quote what was said.
• Quote what was written.
• Put yourself in the reader’s place.
• Don’t hurt the reader’s feelings.
• Forestall misunderstandings.
• Don’t be too brief.
• Plan a beginning, middle and end.
• Go from the rule to the exception, and from the familiar to the new.
• Use short names and abbreviations.
• Use pronouns rather than repeating nouns.
• Use verbs rather than nouns.
• Use the active voice and a personal subject.
• Use small, round figures.
• Specify. Use illustrations, cases, examples.
• Start a new sentence for each idea.
• Keep your sentences short.
• Keep your paragraphs short.
• Use direct questions.
• Underline for emphasis.
• Use parenthesis for casual mention.
• Make your writing interesting to look at.

All of this boils down to one thing: getting your point across in the simplest, most impactful way. Following Flesch’s 25 rules will take your writing to the next level!