Strunk and White, Rule 17.  Omit needless words.

Jon Krakauer needs to learn how to prune his adjectives and to write active-voice sentences.  This selection from Into Thin Air, critical praise to the contrary, is full of awkward writing.  He has a story to tell, but the way he tells it annoys me badly.

And no, I am not going to drive several miles to pick up T’s backpack just so she doesn’t have to lug it around at the football game.  She should have made better plans that didn’t depend on a friend not flaking out on her.