《写作法宝：非虚构写作指南》章节试读

《写作法宝：非虚构写作指南》的笔记-第7页 - Simplicity

原则二是简洁，第一个秘诀是删，删到只剩主干，不能再删为止。名词和动词能讲清楚谁干了什么，可以充当主干；副词和形容词常是枝蔓，尽量删掉。
第二个秘诀是不断修改。先关注句子内部的问题：结构混乱、歧义、语态。后检查句子之间的过渡。是否有跳跃？如果有，用连接词或连接句来解决这个问题。最后问问自己，首次接触这个主题的读者能不能看懂？ 如果不能，修改模糊之处。
The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that's already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what—these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence.写作的秘诀就是删。有些词不提供新信息，只削弱句子的力度。
That carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is so excessively cluttered that the reader, hacking through the verbiage, simply doesn't know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily constructed that the reader could read it in several ways. Perhaps the writer has switched pronouns in mid-sentence, or has switched tenses, so the reader loses track of who is talking or when the action took place. Perhaps Sentence B is not a logical sequel to Sentence A; the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, hasn't bothered to provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used a word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up.句子表达中的问题：结构混乱；有歧义；半路变时态和语态，让读者搞不清主语；句子间过渡不自然，没有用好连接词，使读者感到不流畅、有跳跃。
Is it clear to someone encountering the subject for the first time? If it's not, some fuzz has worked its way into the machinery. The clear writer is someone clearheaded enough to see this stuff for what it is: fuzz.第一次接触这个主题的读者能读懂吗？如果不能，句子肯定还存在模糊之处。
Professional writers are constantly bearded by people who say they'd like to "try a little writing sometime"—meaning when they retire from their real profession, like insurance or real estate, which is hard. Or they say, "I could write a book about that." I doubt it. 你一旦想开始写作，就能马上写好？呵呵。
A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard.当你绝望之时，请记住，落笔成文都是传说，好句子需要打磨很多遍。多少遍？通常是三遍以上。

《写作法宝：非虚构写作指南》的笔记-第80页 - 作为文学的非虚构写作

对于我而言，人生的成长不是渐进的，至少感觉不到，成长一般都是在突然间发现的，或者发现自己与以往不一样了，或者突然发现了一个观点，这个观点的发现会改变之后的很多很多。
在休息期间，在看《写作法宝》，一本看起来无法登入大雅之堂的翻译著作，因为我无法想象伟大的作家是靠着看别人的写作方法而成其伟大的，我无法凭借这句话去判断我的幼稚，还是别的方面。至少在以前的青春岁月，经典著作才应该是可以读的，可以把玩的，而那些最近的现当代作家的著作，总是要抱着一种敬而远之的态度，所谓没有经过时间的沉淀，谁也无法判断到底怎样，是吗？
学新闻的，必然要自食其力，学会能够运用自己的脑袋和笔头去观察这个世界，认识这个世界。从小语文不好，作文不好，自知这方面能力欠缺，却后来越学越发的有了兴趣，写作被我成为人生必须掌握的技能。一个人要顶天立地第书写下自己人生的轨迹，心路历程，以及人生不断前进的反思，这才是一个标准的人，一个实验的人。然而，进过多少年的读书，记不清其中有多少味同嚼蜡的著作，一度让我迷茫，也找不到有些理论道路的领路人，常常事倍功半，常常为此心力憔悴。
《写作法宝》里，提到一个有意思的事情。说作者参加一个女性写作的组织举办的电台节目，作者并不到现场，只是通过电话联系方式，在广播台直播，节目里有作者，主持人和其他两三名女性作家。广播一开头，主持人提出说有没有对现当代文学的感想，或者给自己的读者什么建议等。这个问题让作者和几个女性作家一下子寂静起来，无法回答。主持人为避免尴尬，就又问，有没有想过哪天写出伟大的作品，成为伟大的作家？这个问题让场面更冷了。作者不得不说，我们这里只讨论关于写作的技巧。
至于后来主持人提到的海明威，伍尔夫等等经典作家，作者和几位女性作家反而都不感冒。作者说，对于他们而言，海明威、伍尔夫等确实是伟大的作家，可是他们所尊敬的视为榜样的，并不是他们，而是路易斯托马斯、加里威尔斯等—我更不知道是什么人物的人物—非虚构作家，因为他们驾驭当今事件和问题的能力。
读到这里，我初次在脑袋里产生了，现代作家可以超越那些经典作家的味道。而且，我还给这个味道找到了一些理由。我们生活在当下，应该去了解和重视的就是当下，而不是那些虚构的东西，或者过时的文字。至少，在态度上，我们不应该逃避，应该去描述当下和解决当下的问题。我反思自己，也许自己对于经典太迷信，以至于太看轻现在了吧，正如一个和尚如果非常注重西方极乐世界，怎么会那么留恋红尘呢。虽然，经典著作在解读人性和那个深刻的虚构世界的时候，确实有着惊人的地方。
如何写出现代的，有这个人清晰色彩的，能够彰显出人文特色的文章，不管时代怎么变换，也不管被人如何说三道四，努力下去，这才是写作之道。

《写作法宝：非虚构写作指南》的笔记-第1页 - The Transaction

第一个原则是交往。写作时，心里要时刻想着对面有一个读者。我该用什么方法来引起对方的阅读兴趣？怎么组织内容来让对方容易理解？怎么强调能让对方抓住我最想表达的重点？
想把文章写好，需要持续训练。因为，写作是一项技能，而不是艺术。所以别再说什么没天赋、没灵感，写作不是艺术，而是像修车、游泳和做饭一样的技能，多加练习就能掌握。
It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just flowed.写作是个苦活，很少字如泉涌。
I pointed out that professional writers rewrite their sentences over and over and then rewrite what they have rewritten.专业作家不断修改他们的作品。
I then said that the professional writer must establish a daily schedule and stick to it. I said that writing is a craft, not an art, and that the man who runs away from his craft because he lacks inspiration is fooling himself. He is also going broke.写作是技能，而不是艺术。你要制定计划，坚持训练，技能才能提高。不要把缺乏灵感，当成你不写作的理由，这是自欺欺人。
The self who emerges on paper is far stiffer than the person who sat down to write. The problem is to find the real man or woman behind the tension.一旦写作，你就会很紧张。你要从紧张的文字中找到真正的自己。
Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is. What holds me is the enthusiasm of the writer for his field. How was he drawn into it? What emotional baggage did he bring along? How did it change his life? It's not necessary to want to spend a year alone at Walden Pond to become involved with a writer who did.你本人比作品内容更重要。
Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmicks to "personalize" the author. It's a question of using the English language in a way that will achieve the greatest clarity and strength.写作最重要的两条，一是生动，使读者愿意读下去，二是清晰有力。