If you want to write powerfully, embrace objective standards. Over my thirty years of writing and editing, I’ve developed a set I call ITEC, which stands for Important (or Interesting), True, Essentialized, and Clear.

My writing process involves much more than these four principles, but my focus here is on the nature and value of ITEC. (If you’d like to learn the full, step-by-step process—from choosing a topic and specifying your audience to editing your piece and preparing it for publication—take a writing course at Objective Standard Institute.)

The elements of ITEC are as follows.