Writing advice from C.S. Lewis

From Letters of Note --

1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean
and make sure your sentence couldn't mean anything else.

2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one.
Don't implement promises, but keep them.

3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean "More
people died" don't say "Mortality rose."

4. In writing. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us
to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling
us a thing was "terrible," describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't
say it was "delightful"; make us say "delightful" when we've read the
description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous,
exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, "Please will you do my
job for me." [emphasis added -- DHA]

5. Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when
you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk
about something really infinite.