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Comment, comment, comment. Put a lot of comments in your program. They tell other programmers what you did, and they also tell you what you did.
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Use the "KISS" principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Clear and simple is better than complex and wonderful.
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Avoid side effects. Use ++ and -- on lines by themselves .
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Never put an assignment inside a conditional. Never put an assignment inside any other statement.
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Know the difference between = and = =. Using = for = = is a very common mistake and is difficult to find.
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Never do "nothing" silently:
// Don't program like this for (index = 0; data[index] < key; ++index); // Did you see the semicolon at the end of the last line?
Always put in a comment:
for (index = 0; data[index] < key; ++index) /* Do nothing */;
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Practice coding. Practice is crucial for people involved in almost every other profession that requires a significant level of skill and creativity (e.g., artists , athletes ). Help others learn to program. It's good practice for you to go over what you already know, or think you know.