This boring imperative falls into the same trap as "Be Clear". Gregory Williams, author of the classic "Towards Clarity and Style", has a thoughtful rebuttal t

This boring imperative falls into the same trap as "Be Clear". Gregory Williams, author of the classic "Towards Clarity and Style", has a thoughtful rebuttal to these punchlines in his book's description (quoting an older edition): This is a book about writing clearly. I wish it could be short and simple like some others more widely known, but I want to do more than just urge writers to "Omit Needless Words" or "Be clear." Telling me to "Be clear" is like telling me to "Hit the ball squarely." I know that. What I don't know is how to do it. To explain how to write clearly, I have to go beyond platitudes. But I want to do more than just help you write clearly. I also want you to understand this matter to understand why some prose seems clear, other prose not, and why two readers might disagree about it; why a passive verb can be a better choice than an active verb; why so many truisms about style are either incomplete or wrong. More important, I want that understanding to consist not of anecdotal bits and pieces, but of a coherent system of principles more useful than "Write short sentences." • • • For non-fiction writing, I also vigorously recommend "Clear and Simple as the Truth" by Thomas and Turner[1]. It has fantastic practical advice; the entire second half of the book is filled with concrete examples—both "the exquisite and the execrable". [1] https://press.princeton.edu/titles/9445.html https://press.princeton.edu/titles/9445.html