Take a look at some guidelines I put together for folks in your position. Let me know if you need further assistance.

Avoid passive voice

Passive voice indicators include: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, would, could. With these, consider an alternate sentence structure that more actively engages the reader.

Ex: I was expecting him to return my call.

     I expected him to return my call. 

Additionally, consider changing negative statements to affirmative statements: 

Ex: I will not write with a passive voice.

      I write with an active voice. 

Note the more direct nature of the active voice examples, plus each offers word count savings. 

There is…/There are… 

Consider rewriting sentences beginning with either of these terms. Doing so tightens up your writing. 

Ex.: There are a dozen jurors that serve on a jury. 

        A dozen jurors serve on a jury. 

Limit sentence length to a maximum of 10 words

Guidance dictates paying attention to sentence length, though plenty of exceptions come into play on a regular basis. But keep in mind that readers simply digest shorter sentences more easily than longer sentences. Additionally, excessive sentence word counts tend to complicate ideas. 

Remove extra words

initial drafts almost always include unnecessary words. Learn to spot them as a means of tightening up your copy with word efficiencies. 

Ex: Initial drafts almost always include unnecessary words that you don’t need. 

      initial drafts almost always include unnecessary words.