写作方法2016downes.ca编辑精选
如何快速且专业地写文章与随笔（2006）
How to Write Articles and Essays Quickly and Expertly (2006)
导读
这篇 2006 年的文章讨论如何快速、专业地写文章和随笔；评论区把它延伸到论证结构、文章类型与说服力，并对原文本身提出批评。对写作者的价值在于：它促使你思考写作目的、论证顺序和读者体验，而不只是追求成文速度。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
动笔前先明确文章类型与目的：是论证、解释、定义还是描述，不同类型决定组织方式。
- 02
即使写解释或定义，也要有论证内核：说明这个概念为何有趣、有用，避免滑向抽象空谈。
- 03
呈现反直觉结论时，先从不具争议、靠近结论的前提入手，再引出结论，降低读者抵触。
- 04
把写作视为对读者的帮助：清晰表达、了解读者认知边界，并让文章有明确观点和目的。
HN 评论精选
论证呈现应从共识前提逐步走向反直觉结论，而非一上来就抛结论。
我常思考如何呈现论证。论证最好用有向无环图表示：多为树状，但有些前提支持多个结论，所以本质上是图；结论又常作为引理支撑更深结论。向别人口头或书面呈现时，难点不只是传递信息，还要说服对方并让其认同结论。若结论反直觉，先抛结论会引发抵触；若先列一堆没有上下文的前提，又显得无根。我通常找出最接近结论且不具争议的论点，从那里开始，再谈它们隐含的惊人结论；同时预判回应、保持开放，但仍朝结论推进。
tunesmith查看英文原文
I think about presenting arguments a lot. Arguments are best represented in DAG form; mostly a tree structure, although some premises might support multiple conclusions so it's inherently graph-based (graphical data structure). Because some conclusions are often lemmas supporting further conclusions, arguments can go several levels deep. I like envisioning them with the conclusion on the top and the premises on the bottom, although people often visualize them flipped in another direction. But the trick comes in presenting the argument to someone else, verbally, in a presentation, or through writing. What is the best way to do it? Because your goal isn't just to impart information; it's also to be convincing and to hope that your counterparts get invested in the conclusion. I find that if the conclusion is counterintuitive, then starting with the conclusion can create resistance. People love to interrupt and argue against something they disagree with even if they haven't thought it through. On the other hand, starting with a bunch of premises devoid of context can just feel unrooted. I guess I generally try to analyze the argument to find the highest (closest to conclusion) points that are not controversial, start with those, and then try to talk about the surprising conclusion that they imply. It can be a real workout, though, trying to anticipate responses, being open to feedback while still working towards your conclusion. I wonder if this sort of thing is related to any algorithmic concepts, like most efficient ways to walk a DAG.
非虚构写作可参考 Zinsser《On Writing Well》作为基础指南。
我读过最好的非虚构写作指南是 William Zinsser 的《On Writing Well》。无论为工作还是兴趣写作，他的建议都不可或缺。
idlewords查看英文原文
The best guide I've ever read to writing nonfiction is William Zinsser's "On Writing Well". If you do any writing for work or pleasure, his advice is indispensable: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548
把写作视为论证的变体，有助于组织材料和避免空泛。
原文把文章分为四类：论证、解释、定义、描述。我个人觉得，几乎我写的一切都可看作“论证”的变体：也许同时在做描述、定义或解释，但底层总有说服的成分。比如把某个概念定义好，本身就包括论证它为何有趣、有用；否则很容易陷入抽象空话。这个方法不适用于所有人，会形成特定文风，但确实帮我组织写作和思路。我写作时总在表达某个观点，即使它不算传统意义上的“说服文”。
tikhonj查看英文原文
The article provides four categories of essays: argument, explanation, definition, description. Personally, I've found it useful to think of almost everything I write as a variation on "argument". Perhaps I'm also describing, defining or explaining something, but there's always a core substrate of persuading. A integral part of defining something well, for example, is to simultaneously argue for why the defined idea is interesting and useful; without that, it's all too easy to descend into abstract nonsense. My approach isn't universally applicable—it leads to a particular writing style—but it certainly helped me in organizing my writing and organizing my thoughts. Whenever I write I'm always making a point even if I wouldn't classically think of it as a "persuasive" essay.
好文章要有目的、读者意识和清晰表达；长篇写作往往需要长期酝酿。
这篇文章是它自己论点的反例：写得差、啰嗦、组织混乱、自我服务，几乎没给出可靠建议。一篇专家级文章应有明确观点和目的，并以胜任的方式执行：掌握主题、理解读者懂什么或不懂什么、清楚主题边界，并能清晰且有兴味地传达。还要认识到，一切写作都是对读者的帮助，而不是作者自我表演。可与 Neal Stephenson 的《Why I am a Poor Correspondent》对照：Stephenson 解释自己为何少出现在邮件、网络讨论、社交媒体、采访和座谈中——他需要大段连续时间，甚至连续数日，才能产出复杂长篇小说的主要产品。我偶尔能一口气写出长文且几乎不需大改，但这是例外，通常只发生在思考数周、数月甚至数年的材料上。我现在至少有半打文章和评论压了大半年，只因为没时间和空间整理……
dredmorbius查看英文原文
This essay is a counterexample to its own argument. It's poorly written, verbose, poorly organised, self-serving, and offers little in the way of solid advice. An expert essay should have a point and purpose, and execute it with competence. This means a few things, but among others, it means having a grasp of your subject, an understanding of others' understanding or lack of it, a firm grasp of the boundaries of your subject, if those are salient, and the capacity to communicate clearly and with interest. Recognising that all writing is a favour to the reader and not the author is also key. I'm contrasting this essay and its glib advice to Neal Stephenson's "Why I am a Poor Correspondent", in which Stephenson excuses his infrequent presence in email, online discussions and social media, and on interviews and conference panels: he requires long blocks of time, and days of them on end, to be able to produce his primary product, long and complex novels. I've occasionally spilled out long essays in a single continuous pour with little further major revision necessary (though numerous fixes, corrections, and tweaks are virtually always needed). The experience is an exception, and almost always happens only on material I've been thinking over for a long time -- weeks, months, years. I'm sitting on at least a half-dozen essays and reviews right now that I've been kicking around for most of the year, so nine months, simply because I've not had the time and space to organise my thoughts and secure uninterrupted keyboard time in front of a system at which I can call up and incorporate references, and do the topics in mind proper justice. It's frustrating, but as with David Byrne, when I've nothing to say, my lips are sealed. Or at least that's my goal. There's a difference between firehosing words onto a page or into an edit-buffer, and actually writing a coherent, cogent, intelligent piece. This piece fails at that, and fails (other than by contradiction) to show how.
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