The most useful writing guide I've read is this advice by George Orwell: http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit http://www.orwell.ru/libra

The most useful writing guide I've read is this advice by George Orwell: http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit He also argues against using the passive, because simple conjunctions/prepositions are replaced by longer than needed phrases that just shit up the pages. If you switch to active you can then write with more precision and cut more text out during editing. Other advice I found useful was to never edit as you write, or you'll never finish.