Some
down-‐and-‐dirty
ways
to
improve
wri%ng
–
stuff
you
can
start
next
week
! Eliminate
distrac%ons—this
won’t
make
your
wri%ng
beIer,
but
it
will
keep
readers
from
geKng
distracted
by
grammar,
spelling
and
punctua%on
mistakes
and
style
inconsistencies
Some
down-‐and-‐dirty
ways
to
improve
wri%ng
–
stuff
you
can
start
next
week
! Eliminate
distrac%ons
! Figure
out
where
you
need
to
improve
! Improve
your
readability
This
ain’t
brain
surgery…
! Lead
and
graf
length
! Sentence
length
! Number
of
ideas
per
sentence
! Write
like
real
people
talk,
not
how
specialists
or
bureaucrats
talk
Eighteen
Smithville
residents
accused
in
a
civil
suit
of
an
alleged
loan
fraud
against
the
federal
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
might
seIle
the
case
before
it
goes
to
trial,
according
to
federal
court
documents.
This
ain’t
brain
surgery…
! Lead
and
graf
length
! Sentence
length
! Number
of
ideas
per
sentence
! Write
like
real
people
talk,
not
how
specialists
or
bureaucrats
talk
! Front-‐load
sentences
–
start
with
a
subject
and
a
verb,
don’t
back
in
As
they
did
in
the
summer
of
2013,
proponents
of
a
Community
Block
Development
Grant
to
improve
Highway
93
in
front
of
the
TransAmerica
truck
stop
near
Interstate
20
ran
into
a
hornets’
nest
of
opposi%on
at
a
public
hearing
Wednesday
night.
Hoping
to
reduce
a
flood
of
over-‐budget
spending
that
has
plagued
the
city
government
for
the
first
six
months
of
this
fiscal
year,
all
five
city
council
members
voted
last
night
to
add
the
posi?ons
of
purchasing
agent
and
a
data
processing
manager
to
the
city
payroll.
Hoping
to
reduce
a
flood
of
over-‐budget
spending
that
has
plagued
the
city
government
for
the
first
six
months
of
this
fiscal
year,
all
five
city
council
members
voted
last
night
to
add
the
posi?ons
of
purchasing
agent
and
a
data
processing
manager
to
the
city
payroll.
Hoping
to
reduce
a
flood
of
over-‐budget
spending
that
has
plagued
the
city
government
for
the
first
six
months
of
this
fiscal
year,
all
five
city
council
members
voted
last
night
to
add
the
posi?ons
of
purchasing
agent
and
a
data
processing
manager
to
the
city
payroll.
City
council
members
agreed
last
night
that
the
city
could
save
money
with
more
professional
purchasing
prac?ces
and
more
effec?ve
use
of
computers.
Council
members
voted
to
hire
a
purchasing
agent
and
a
data
processing
manager
as
part
of
an
effort
to
combat
six
months
of
over-‐budget
spending.
This
ain’t
brain
surgery…
! Lead
and
graf
length
! Sentence
length
! Number
of
ideas
per
sentence
! Write
like
real
people
talk,
not
how
specialists
or
bureaucrats
talk
! Front-‐load
sentences
–
start
with
a
subject
and
a
verb,
don’t
back
in
! But
the
most
important
thing:
This
ain’t
brain
surgery…
! Graf
length
! sentence
length
! Number
of
ideas
per
sentence
! Write
like
real
people
talk,
not
how
specialists
or
bureaucrats
talk
! Front-‐load
sentences
–
start
with
a
subject
and
a
verb,
don’t
back
in
! But
the
most
important
thing:
FOCUS
Smithville
City
Council
approved
the
final
plat
for
the
Parkmeadow
Addi%on
Thursday.
The
subdivision
on
the
north
side
of
FM
1283
south
will
include
188
home
sites,
with
lots
ranging
from
7,000
to
more
than
10,000
square
feet
and
prices
from
the
$200,000s
to
the
$400,000s.
Also
at
Tuesday’s
mee%ng
the
council
was
introduced
to
the
city’s
first
animal
control
officer,
Ceasare
Millane,
who
began
her
du%es
Feb.
24.
The
council
approved
an
amendment
to
the
zoning
ordinance
requiring
a
minimum
eight-‐foot
masonry
screening
wall
for
development
along
a
railroad
track.
The
council
reviewed
updated
plans
for
a
new
city
hall.
The
10,389-‐square
foot
building
would
be
placed
at
the
site
of
the
current
structure,
which
would
be
razed.
An
upscale
subdivision
with
homes
from
$200,000
to
$400,000
will
be
built
on
the
north
side
of
Highway
40,
thanks
to
a
vote
by
the
Smithville
City
Council
Thursday.
The
Council
approved
the
final
plat
for
the
new
subdivision,
which
will
include
188
homesites
on
lots
ranging
from
7,000
to
10,000
square
feet.
Some
down-‐and-‐dirty
ways
to
improve
wri%ng
–
stuff
you
can
start
next
week
! Eliminate
distrac%ons
! Figure
out
where
you
need
to
improve
! Improve
your
readability
! Why
does
everything
have
to
be
a
story?
Some
down-‐and-‐dirty
ways
to
improve
wri%ng
–
stuff
you
can
start
next
week
! Eliminate
distrac%ons
! Figure
out
where
you
need
to
improve
! Improve
your
readability
! Why
does
everything
have
to
be
a
story?
! Consider
the
so
what
factor
in
news
Some
down-‐and-‐dirty
ways
to
improve
wri%ng
–
stuff
you
can
start
next
week
! Eliminate
distrac%ons
! Figure
out
where
you
need
to
improve
! Improve
your
readability
! Why
does
everything
have
to
be
a
story?
! Consider
the
so
what
factor
in
news
! Use
delayed
leads
to
hook
the
reader
Some
down-‐and-‐dirty
ways
to
improve
wri%ng
–
stuff
you
can
start
next
week
! Eliminate
distrac%ons
! Figure
out
where
you
need
to
improve
! Improve
your
readability
! Why
does
everything
have
to
be
a
story?
! Consider
the
so
what
factor
in
news
! Use
delayed
leads
to
hook
the
reader
! Change
the
way
you
look
at
quotes
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