The best way to learn to write is to study the work of the men and women who are doing the kind of writing you want to do.

Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose.

Make a habit of reading what is being written today and what has been written before. Writing is learned by imitation.

Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft. Bach and Picasso didn't spring full-blown as Bach or Picasso; they needed models. This is especially true of writing.

The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn't induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn't induce him to continue to the third sentence, it's equally dead.

My four articles of faith: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.

Writers can write to affirm and to celebrate, or they can write to debunk and destroy; the choice is ours.