I'd like to comment the rule of "omit needless words". Generally I agree with that, but if it is applied rigorously across the whole article, I find it quite difficult to read, despite each sentence being logical and clear. It just needs a greater concentration then, like in this very article - I was tired after reading it (English is not my mother language).

I prefer Mark Pilgrim's diveinto____ style, where the text has more "space" and feels lighter. In my opinion, it is not always better to make the sentence shorter.