LifeHack.org is my recent favorite blog. It suggests a lot of pointers on productivity, getting things done and lifehacks. On the top of its popular list, I get Fifty Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark from Poynter Institute.

You will become handy with these tools over time. You will begin to recognize their use in the stories you read. You will see chances to apply them when you revise your own work. Eventually, they will become part of your flow, natural and automatic.

The first three tools are already good enough for me to use in my writing.

Tool #1: Begin sentences with subjects and verbs, letting subordinate elements branch off to the right. Even a very long sentence can be clear and powerful when the subject and verb make meaning early.

Tool #2: Use verbs in their strongest form, the simple present or past. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.

Tool #3: Beware of adverbs. They can dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it.

I will surely spare some time to read all of the fifty writing tools. Thanks lifehack.org and Roy Peter Clark.