写作方法2010io9.com编辑精选
写作中要警惕的危险信号
Danger signs to search for in your writing
导读
这篇文章来自 io9,列出小说交稿前应当自查的几类"危险信号",例如被动语态、冗余填充词、滥用副词和过度解释。评论区进一步补充了句长与节奏的关系,以及形容词和动作描写的取舍,对写作者自查文稿很有参考价值。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
交稿前逐项排查危险信号:被动语态、冗余填充词(如 in order to)、多余的副词。
- 02
短句传达速度感,长句带来拖沓感;动作场景尤其要短,别把打斗写得迟缓沉闷。
- 03
读者知道"把人扔出去"是什么样,动作描写不必逐帧解释,删掉多余说明句子会更有力。
- 04
形容词和副词一样危险:不说"她人很好",而是写她帮助迷路的孩子,用动作和细节替代评价。
HN 评论精选
用一段本身就犯着这些毛病的话反讽:机械套用写作规则容易写出别扭句子,规则要理解着用。
别忘了这几条:被动语态是要被避免的;你不想不去分裂你的不定式;为了精简文字,删掉像"为了"这样的多余填充词。
RyanMcGreal查看英文原文
Don't forget: * The passive voice is to be avoided. * You want to not split your infinitives with a negative. * In order to streamline your text, take out superfluous filler like "in order to".
句长决定节奏,动作场景要删掉读者已知的解释;形容词也应换成动作与细节。
总原则:短句传达速度,长而曲折的句子让读者感到时间被拉长。很多作者掉进的坑是动作场景描写过度,反而显得迟钝乏味。文中改成"坏人叔叔把萨姆森船长举过头顶扔下栏杆"就是这种问题——读者知道怎么扔人,不需要解释。更简洁可写成"坏人叔叔把萨姆森船长扔下栏杆"(读者大概也知道他们在栏杆上)。若真需要强调他力气大,可以写"举过头顶,扔出栏杆"。另外文章劝人少用副词,却没提形容词同样糟糕:多数形容词可以用动作或具体细节表达,别写"她人很好",而是写她帮一个迷路的孩子。
SlyShy查看英文原文
General principle: short sentences convey speed, long and meandering sentences will give the reader a sense of drawn out time. A pitfall many writers fall into is over describing their action scenes, which makes them seem oddly sluggish and dull. The revision shown in the article to "A Bad Uncle lifted Captain Samson over his head and hurled her over the edge of the catwalk," is an example of this problem. The reader knows how you throw someone, they don't need an explanation. "The Bad Uncle hurled Captain Samson over the edge." (Presumably the reader knows they are on a catwalk, too, so "the catwalk" is unnecessary.) If it is really important to convey that the Bad Uncle is very strong you could do "The Bad Uncle hurled Captain Samson over his head, off the catwalk," or something similar. Edit: Also, the article discourages adverbs, but doesn't mention that adjectives are similarly bad. Most adjectives can be better conveyed through an action or specific detail. Don't say "she was nice", but do show her helping a lost child.
这些写作原则不限于小说,技术文档和说明文字同样适用。
虽然针对的是虚构写作,但这些提示对文档和技术写作同样适用。我们都抱怨技术写作质量差,可好写作本来就难,这些要点放宽理解后普遍适用。
RiderOfGiraffes查看英文原文
Although targetted at fiction, it's relevant to documentation and other technical writing. We all bemoan the quality of technical writing, but good writing is hard, and these hints apply across the board (with some liberal interpretation).
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