William Zinsser:

Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.

From the archive:

Rare is the book that causes one to consider -- ponder? appraise? examine? inspect? contemplate? -- one's every word.

Simple & Direct, a classic text on the craft of writing by the educator Jacques Barzun, does so -- with style.