1. All knowledge and cultural reference is assumed. [Anyone reading your story also has access to Google, Wikipedia, and millions of websites and blogs.]
1.1. Therefore any explanation placed within the body of a narrative [For example: "He had on a boina, the South American version of a newsboy cap," or "He was listening to Outkast, a hip-hop group from Atlanta] tends to slow down or obscure the narrative flow and/or potentially alienate the reader (if he/ she already knows what the referent is).
1.2 Therefore the narrator should simply describe / narrate, and if necessary, add references via (a) links, (b) words in parenthesis, or (c) footnotes.
2. Emotions are never assumed [Ex: "She seemed happy that morning."], but can only be portrayed the way they were perceived by the narrator, [Ex: "She stood in the corner punching herself in the stomach."]
2.1. Any changes effected by or perceived by the narrator either (a) within him/herself or (b) outside of him/herself, must be placed in temporal context* [Ex: "Right now she would be around 6 months pregnant and we’re both grieving this in our own ways."]
2.1.a. *unless it is fiction.
3. Narrators should be self-aware and transparent about (a) their connections (and / or lack of connection) to the subject, (b) the temporal / historical context of the subject, (c) the potential effects of their writing on the subject, (d) their acknowledgment of using various mimetic or diegetic devices as storytelling “vehicles.”
3.1. Logical fallacies, incorrect information, hyperbole, and other potential “issues” are all “ok” as long as they are recognized transparently.
4. Narrators should develop / operate from a lexicon faithful to the way they speak / think in real life.*