出版与作家生涯2016theguardian.com编辑精选
为什么我给自己那本处女作小说写了一篇毫不留情的书评
Why I wrote a damning review of my own debut novel
导读
这篇讲的是作家朱利安·巴恩斯为自己的处女作写下一篇严厉书评，借自我批评来审视作品。对写作者来说，它提供了一种很实用的方法：用假想中的苛刻评论逼出潜意识里的问题，同时处理写作中的失败恐惧。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
给未完成稿写一篇假想中的严厉书评，把隐约感到的问题逼到明面上。
- 02
写作时用落笔来平衡创意与可信度，为灵感建立合理的因果链条。
- 03
把最害怕的失败评价先写出来，能减轻自我苛责和焦虑。
- 04
好作家也会自我批评；适当把作品看作“只是小说”，有助于保持距离。
HN 评论精选
用自我书评挖掘未完成作品的潜意识缺陷。
我很想在一些未完成的项目上试试这个办法，找出那些我只有潜意识里才察觉到的缺陷。
failrate查看英文原文
I am tempted to try this on some unfinished projects to try to suss out their flaws that I only subconsciously am aware of.
自我评论是平衡创造力与可信度、缓解失败恐惧的写作练习。
写小说要在不固执追求逼真的过程中找真相：为创作奇想建立合理因果。理论上靠前额叶就行，但落笔更有效。作者把平衡创造力和逼真感的同一能力用在自己的评论上：设想对一部未知未出版小说的反应是创造，而他了解小说优缺点所以能平衡。这样得到简单安慰：他要么会成为小说家，要么不会；写这篇伪虚构评论正好缓解失败恐惧。
pashapiro查看英文原文
When writing a work of fiction, the aim is to find truth not in the creative process, but in the un-dogged pursuit of verisimilitude - in the attempt to build reasonably causal events in response to the creative flights of fancy. Theoretically, it should be possible to achieve this in the frontal lobe, but putting pen to paper has always been a more effective approach at striking the perfect balance. I'd say the author here decided to apply the same muscles that balance creativity and verisimilitude to his own review. Imagining the response to an unknown, unpublished novel is obviously a work of creativity, which he is also able to balance out because he actually knows the novel, knows its strengths and weaknesses. In this way, he was able to find a simple, comforting truth: he was either about to become a novelist, or he wasn't. Writing a piece of pseudo-fiction like this review seems like a great answer to allay the fears of failure.
写出自己最害怕的批评可化解自我苛责。
作家可能对自己特别苛刻，尤其好作家。巴恩斯写出自己害怕的批评，是个好办法。说到底只是小说，但写的时候显得极其重要。
sverige查看英文原文
Writers can be so critical of themselves, especially good ones, I think. Barnes' solution of writing the critique he fears is pretty good. They're only novels, after all, but when you write one, it seems so damned important.
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