That was interesting. I don't completely agree with two of them, but I can see where he's coming from.
1. Proper Names Within Dialogue
I've used names in dialogue before but only because it's the way I was taught to greet people. When I first see someone I say hello and use their name, so I've done the same in my stories. I'll have to go back and take a look at that again!
2. Chit-Chat
Skip the pleasantries when two people meet. Avoid the weather talk. The how-have-you-beens. Instead, opt for something like this:
After a few minutes of catching up Laura popped the question she’d come for.
“Are you having an affair with my husband?” she asked.
I would've started with the dialogue rather than "After a few minutes..." The dialogue would've been a stronger way to start in my opinion.
There were some good tips in there.
I agree with most of them.
I only semi-agree with #1 (names in dialogue). While it can be overdone, it is not rare for people to use proper names when first encountering one-another. (Hi, Joe, how are you?") Also, using the names is a device to help keep readers straight on who is speaking in lieu of overusing dialogue tags, such as "Joe said", Mary asked, etc. Think of a dialogue sequence involving more than two people. Readers need a crutch to keep things lined up properly or they will end up re-reading to avoid confusion and that detracts form the effectiveness of the scene and the readers' enjoyment.
At the same time, name use can be overdone and there are techniques to avoid both dialogue tags and overuse of proper names.
#4 is valid, except that there could be certain times when the details are useful. Taking the example of the person prepping for a blind date, if the thoughts and emotions of the character are important, an interlude ass she is alone in her house with her thoughts might be an integral part of the story.
One flaw that was not in the article was the tendency by some of Telling, not Showing. We are all guilty of it from time to time. When I edit my work I always find instances of it and have to work passages.
Bumping this back to the first page as it is REALLY very helpful!
In college I had to learn a technique I called "terse verse" which was basically to eliminate these 5 error's. BTW my father was a news paper editor and he taught me to avoid all of these as variations on "fluff". I only partially agree about the use of proper names. It can easily be part of a particular character's persona and personality, in which case it is actually required.
I personally don't agree with the blank line change. Perhaps this is a new standard in writing but I have been pounded in class for using it. Has this changed? For me it breaks the flow of the type and therefore the story.
There are also pieces of poetry or descriptive essay type writing in which painting word pictures using hyper rich adjective language is perfectly acceptable. If your intent is to bring the reader's senses into focus on the story, not just their mind, this works well. If it is not a needed part of the story, kill it for G... sake! it just puts readers to sleep and they close out, never finishing the story.
These are very good pointers for rough draft editing and in the main I do agree. Any feed back?
May your parchment be smooth, your ink never blot, and your writing never block.
forgotten what the other points were. 
