No tricks. Just honing the craft. I recommend owning a good grammar book like Little Brown, and a couple of style manuals like the Chicago Style, AP, and MLS manuals. Plus, a couple of common foreign language dictionaries; I favor the French and Spanish, but also have a German one. Those are the languages that most heavily influence English. Of course, a good regular dictionary and a Thesaurus are essential too. I also reference a baby names book when naming characters.

And read.

Read.

Read.

As I am won't to repeat, "writers write always. Great writers read, then write." ~MomzillaNC.