What to avoid when writing:

Avoid an opening sentence that's 50 words long. Guy at my last shop did it all the time and never understood what was wrong with it. And now he's teaching others how to do it. aghghg!

 

I don't think that's a very good hard and fast rule.

 

I always thought this, too. Where I now work, they insist on today, tomorrow and yesterday.

 

You don't really need "improved to," either. "Is" works fine when you just need a couple of more words deleted to fit the line in.

 

If you use the phrase "on the season" in a newspaper, not only should you be fired, you should have to serve a one-year sentence listening to 24-hour sports talk radio, where "on the season" is spouted as often as misinformed opinion.

 

How do you screw up volleyball? If the winning team drops two games and wins three, you have to put the losing scores first: 20-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-10. Or 25-20, 23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-7.

 

some people are just stupid

 

Well, the thing is, this is lockbolt style for many newspapers.

So I wouldn't say don't use "yesterday" or "tomorrow." That might be what you're supposed to use.

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In the same vein as "on the season," keep an eye open for using "in victory" or "in defeat." Chances are you can lop those words off.

 

Joining "on the season" in Writing Hell should be its bastard cousins "on the year" and "on the game."

 

Adverbs come cheap.

"Very" sucks.

 

Never, ever, ever describe something as "special."

 

I avoid using that sentence altogether. There are plenty of places you can insert the record without using an entire sentence on it. "Racine (13-4) expanded its lead in the conference to four games over idle Rockford." "At 32-8, the Suns are on a pace that would leave them xxxx wins short of the Bulls' 72-10 mark. "