Writing Rules

A set of guidelines to help you improve your writing.

Amazon's Writing Rules

Use less than 30 words per sentence.
Replace adjectives with data
Eliminate weasel words, for example: "nearly all customers", "signifigantly better"
Do your writing pass the "so what?" test
Answer questions with one of the 4 amazon answers: Yes, No, a number, or I don't know.
Be objective, avoid adjectives and adverbs
- Sales increased signifigantly => Increased by 40% in Q4 2011
Avoid jargon and acronyms as they exclude non-experts and newcomers
Always explain technical terms, acronyms, and abbreviations, the first time they appear.
more weasel words to avoid:
- would help the solution
- might bring clarity
- should result in benefits
- arguably the best
Use subject-verb-object sentences with "doers" and "action"

Write out acronyms in the first mention
Break content into sections
Use bullet points instead of paragraphs.
Use descriptive anchor text.
Avoid saying "follow simple steps or "its easy" or "its obvious." These can make your reader feel stupid.
Use AlexJS a tool to help identify insensitive language.

These tend to be fluff, cutting them makes your writing more clear.