Sentence:  There were a lot of dos and don'ts, with examples: 'get in, get out' (Raymond Carver), not what I'm doing here, obviously; <WSD>'unbloat</WSD> your plot' (Colum McCann); 'never open a book with weather' (Elmore Leonard); 'keep your exclamation marks under control (Elmore Leonard again!); 'do not place a photgraph of your favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide' (Roddy Doyle). 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To relieve the bloatedness of.