How to be a better writer?

Writing is not just a skill...it is an art. So unless you're in the realm of Abraham Lincoln, the unofficial greatest writer in the last 200 years, a writer really shouldn't write beyond his/her capability.

It's easier to point out mistakes (constructively criticize) than offer improvements. Here's a list of "Bad Writing":

• Be more or less specific
• Don’t be redundant; don’t repeat yourself for emphasis
• Don’t use more words than necessary; its highly superfluous
• One should never generalize
• The passive voice should be avoided
• Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are usually unnecessary
• Avoid clichés like the plague. (They are old hat.)
• Prepositions are not words to end sentences with
• Employ the vernacular
• Foreign words and phrases are not apropos
• Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
• Understatement is always best - Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement
• Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake
• Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed
• Finish your thoughts, not with ellipses...