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.
Use the "KISS" principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Clear and simple is better than complex and wonderful.
Avoid side effects. Use ++ and -- on lines by themselves .
Never put an assignment inside a conditional. Never put an assignment inside any other statement.
Know the difference between = and = =. Using = for = = is a very common mistake and is difficult to find.
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 */;
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.