A Couple Steps to Smarter Writing

So I hate it when people start blog posts like this. What does the "so" mean? Nothing. It has no function besides taking up space and making your writing look like a fifth-grader's.

Instead of, "So I had an epiphany today," write, "I had an epiphany today." It's easy.

And please stop writing "really" so much. If you were excited, you were excited. Don't bother telling me you were "really excited" because there's no such thing as half excited. You were or you weren't.

Most of all, please stop having your writing be passive. It should be made more active by you. An example will be provided by me now:

Bad: Millions of dollars are spent at Taco Bell by college students each year.
Good: Each year, college students spend millions of dollars at Taco Bell.

Yes, blogs are journals. Yes, they are your personal thoughts. But if your writing is sloppy on your blog, there's a good chance it's sloppy in your research papers and job applications, too.