I enjoyed this article.

I feel like you've made me a better writer. Some of the points hit home. I haven't even clicked on the link yet and I'm like... I do describe smiles too much in my creative nonfiction. 😅

One thing I'll add is... If your message is powerful and the audience trusts you can help them, nothing else matters.

If the audience believes you will solve a problem they are having, they don't care about the artistry. They don't care if you're English is your second language. Especially if you can solve their problem and get them to believe you.

And that's one thing some of us who love the art & craft forget about things like genre fiction or super pulpy B movies that break out rules.

Those audiences are there for a different reason and the writer hits that part out of the park!

Focussing on emotional connection the way you described can help build trust. When you cut those LY words, when you stop telling people how to feel, and trust your reader, they reciprocate with trust in you.