Tool 1: Begin sentences with subject and verbs. Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right.
Placing the subject and verb at the beginning of a sentence helps maintaining clarity. They are often separated in prose, when the writer wants to ad something about the subject, it has to be done carefully not to confuse the reader. If the goal is to create suspense, the writer should rather save subject and verb for the end of the sentence without separating them.

Tool 3: Activate your verb. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.
George Orwell wrote: «Never use the passive when you can use the active.» This advice allows the writer to power its narrative, whether in the past or the present tense. Use passive verbs to emphasize the victim.

Tool 5: Watch those adverbs. Use them to change the meaning of the verb.
Adverbs should only be used when they change our understanding of the verb (example: she smiled sadly). If the goal is to intensify the meaning of the verb, the writer should rather change it for a more accurate one.

Tool 11: Prefer the simple over the technical. Use shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs at point of complexity.
The strategy of familiarization consists in taking the strange and making it comprehensible, even familiar, through the power of explanation. Using short words and sentences help turning a complex passage clear.

Tool 14: Get the name of the dog. Dig for the concrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.
«I see» often means «I understand». The good writer uses details not only to inform but also to persuade. Details are powerful and leave the reader a mark when they stimulate the senses.

Tool 21: Know when to back off and when to show off. When the topic is most serious, understate; when least serious, exaggerate.
The more dramatic the subject, the more the writer backs off to create the effect that the story tells itself, and vice versa. Using the simple and the