While you’ve almost certainly heard of Dilbert –– the pudgy comic strip character with round spectacles and a head of hair the same color as his flesh –– there’s a very good chance you’re not familiar with his creator, Scott Adams.

Adams is a cartoonist, obviously.

But, he’s also a writer.

All those pithy little quips you read accompanying the cartoons are written by Adams himself.

Back in 2007, Adams wrote and published a short piece on his blog titled, The day you became a better writer, where in just 264 words, he literally makes you a better writer.

*Scott Adams is typing now*

I went from being a bad writer to a good writer after taking a one-day course in “business writing.” I couldn’t believe how simple it was. I’ll tell you the main tricks here so you don’t have to waste a day in class.

Business writing is about clarity and persuasion. The main technique is keeping things simple. Simple writing is persuasive. A good argument in five sentences will sway more people than a brilliant argument in a hundred sentences. Don’t fight it.

Simple means getting rid of extra words. Don’t write, “He was very happy” when you can write “He was happy.” You think the word “very” adds something. It doesn’t. Prune your sentences.

Humor writing is a lot like business writing. It needs to be simple. The main difference is in the choice of words. For humor, don’t say “drink” when you can say “swill.”

Your first sentence needs to grab the reader. Go back and read my first sentence to this post. I rewrote it a dozen times. It makes you curious. That’s the key.

Write short sentences. Avoid putting multiple thoughts in one sentence. Readers aren’t as smart as you’d think.

Learn how brains organize ideas. Readers comprehend “the boy hit the ball” quicker than “the ball was hit by the boy.” Both sentences mean the same, but it’s easier to imagine the object (the boy) before the action (the hitting). All brains work that way. (Notice I didn’t say, “That is the way all brains work”?)

That’s it. You just learned 80% of the rules of good writing. You’re welcome.

Here’s the TL;DR…

To write better (according to Adams):

1. Keep things simple because simple writing is persuasive.
2. Prune your sentences and get rid of extra words.
3. Reach for funny over unfunny words (“swill” vs. “drink”).
4. Grab the reader with your first sentence.
5. Write short sentences.
6. Place the person before the action.

By Cole Schafer (but mostly Scott Adams).