The following is the abridged version of a short article I wrote on Helium. It's doing quite well (5th out of 38 articles). See the complete article here: http://www.helium.com/items/635580-writing-problems-to-avoid-five-things-that-kill-good-writing. If you would like to join Helium, let me know and I'll send you an invite!

Writing problems to avoid: Five things that kill good writing

I am convinced that there's more than five things that will completely ruin an otherwise great piece of writing. That much is obvious. However, the following lists outlines the five top things that will make me pull out my bookmark and throw aside your book.

1. Cliched characters.
2. Disappointing conclusion.
3. Over-using phrases and words.
4. Over complicating phrases.
5. Weak writing.