How not to write...

This is the companion piece to the 'There Are No Killer Writing Tips' article, so make sure you've read that before reading this post. So with that taken care of, here is a brief list of common mistakes made when creating content.

• Don't ever use the passive voice unless you understand why you'd want to do this (like in the previous sentence).
• Don't try to say too much in a single sentence, either conceptually or in terms of the sheer amount of text used. Use punctuation to simplify your sentences.
• If you try to say too much too soon, you risk conveying nothing at all. Concentrate on conveying the core of your message. Once you've introduced this, you can convey the more complex ideas later on. Hold the readers hand; don't just through them in at the deep end.
• Don't risk losing your audience by providing too much or too little enough information. There’s no hard and fast rule here – you have to make a call based on their knowledge, and pace your content accordingly. Don't blind your audience with jargon, but don't patronise or talk down to them either.
• Don't try and say everything at once. Keep your writing direct and dynamic, but take your time when you need to.
• Be careful using humour. Funny is good, but only if it reinforces or helps to convey a core message. Funny for its own sake soon grows tiresome, and there's always the risk of coming across as smug.