Murder your darlings: Difference between revisions

Line 1:

Avoid definitions. Mostly, people can figure out what you mean with little doubt from the context. Only use definitions when you are using a woord in a specific way that does not align with its ordinary meaning.

====General Principles====

*''Avoid definitions''. Mostly, people can figure out what you mean with little doubt from the context. Only use definitions when you are using a woord in a specific way that does not align with its ordinary meaning.

**So don't define "tax" as any tax, duty, excise, deduction, witholding impost or lvey imposed by a competent authority any other familiar term that will, you know, ''show up on the Google as a freaking synonym for "tax"''.

*''Use the active tense''. Avoid the passive whenever you can.

*Use the active tense. Avoid the passive whenever you can.

====Specific examples====

*''For the avoidance of doubt'': This is an explicit acknowledgment that what you have just written contains doubt. You are a solicitor. You are an officer of the Queen's English. Physician, heal thyself.

*~~"for~~ the avoidance of doubt". This is an explicit acknowledgment that what you have just written contains doubt. You are a solicitor. You are an officer of the Queen's English. Physician, heal thyself.

*"(including, without limitation ...)"

*"unless otherwise agreed by the parties"

*"unless otherwise agreed by the parties": This is true of every english law contract there ever was. The clue is the definition of "contract". It's ''an agreement between the parties''.

*"and/or"

*"We reserve the right to ..." - Wait a minute: Did you just give that right away? If so, you can't reserve it. If you didn't, you've still got it, so - you know - ''shut up already''.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Avoid definitions. Mostly, people can figure out what you mean with little doubt from the context. Only use definitions when you are using a woord in a specific way that does not align with its ordinary meaning.
+====General Principles====
+*''Avoid definitions''. Mostly, people can figure out what you mean with little doubt from the context. Only use definitions when you are using a woord in a specific way that does not align with its ordinary meaning.
 **So don't define "tax" as any tax, duty, excise, deduction, witholding impost or lvey imposed by a competent authority any other familiar term that will, you know, ''show up on the Google as a freaking synonym for "tax"''.
+*''Use the active tense''. Avoid the passive whenever you can.
-*Use the active tense. Avoid the passive whenever you can.
+====Specific examples====
+*''For the avoidance of doubt'': This is an explicit acknowledgment that what you have just written contains doubt. You are a solicitor. You are an officer of the Queen's English. Physician, heal thyself.
-*"for the avoidance of doubt". This is an explicit acknowledgment that what you have just written contains doubt. You are a solicitor. You are an officer of the Queen's English. Physician, heal thyself.
 *"(including, without limitation ...)"
-*"unless otherwise agreed by the parties"
+*"unless otherwise agreed by the parties": This is true of every english law contract there ever was. The clue is the definition of "contract". It's ''an agreement between the parties''.
 *"and/or"
 *"We reserve the right to ..." - Wait a minute: Did you just give that right away? If so, you can't reserve it. If you didn't, you've still got it, so - you know - ''shut up already''.