写作方法2010andrewacove.posterous.com
保罗·格雷厄姆的写作习惯一瞥（附图表）
A Brief Look At Paul Graham's Writing Habits (with Charts)
导读
这篇用图表统计了 Paul Graham 的写作习惯——发文频率、篇幅、时间分布等，数据本身有趣，但评论区讨论得更深：他的文章为什么让人信服、为什么读着像被一步步带到结论而不是被说教。对写作者来说，真正的收获在评论里关于「古典风格」和「发现真相的语气」的讨论。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
把结论留给读者自己走到：用逐步呈现的方式引导，而不是开头就把观点宣讲出来。
- 02
追求「语言与事实对齐」的清晰简洁：写作目的是呈现，而不是表演聪明。
- 03
用「发现真相」而非「发明真相」的语气写作，读者更容易信任你。
- 04
写经得起时间的主题：几年后仍然成立的文章，本身就在为你的可信度加分。
HN 评论精选
好文章让读者自己走到结论，而非被说教；这对应「古典风格」的清晰与呈现。
更值得研究但难以量化的是 PG 的写作风格。如果你读完一篇 PG 的文章，发现自己是被一步步带到结论前、而不是被灌输结论，你就明白我在说什么。这种风格是有名字的：我认为它最接近《Clear and Simple as the Truth》一书所说的「古典风格」——它自认为像真理一样清晰简单，目的是呈现，动机是无私地求真的；成功的呈现就是让语言与事实对齐，而检验标准就是清晰与简洁。
keyist查看英文原文
More interesting albeit difficult to quantify would be PG's writing style. If you've read a PG essay and found yourself agreeing because you're gradually taken towards a conclusion yourself instead of having it preached to you, you'll know what I'm referring to. Turns out there is a style for that. I am no writing expert, but I feel PG's style is (intentional or otherwise) most akin to Classic Style as outlined in the book "Clear and Simple as the Truth" (overview from Robin Hanson of Overcoming Bias here: http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/03/deceptive-writing-styl... ). Most telling excerpt: "Classic style is in its own view clear and simple as the truth. It adopts the stance that its purpose is presentation; its motive is disinterested truth. Successful presentation consists of aligning language with truth, and the test of this alignment is clarity and simplicity." CaSatT homepage: http://www.classicprose.com/
「发现真相」的语气加上经得起时间检验，是建立读者信任的关键。
我不轻易接受建议，要说服我认真考虑很难。但 PG 的多数文章确实说到点上。我意识到我信任它们的原因之一，除了那种「发现真相」而非「发明真相」的语气，还因为它们很多已经相当旧了——几年前我刚开始读时还觉得这算缺点，但我最喜欢的恰恰是五年以上、今天仍然高度相关的那些，这反而增加了可信度。我不觉得今天博客上的很多东西能同样经得起时间检验。
photon_off查看英文原文
I don't take taking advice lightly. It really takes a lot to convince me that what you are preaching is something I should thoroughly consider. Despite this fact, I find most of PG's essays to really hit the spot. I've realized that one of the reasons why I trust PG essays, besides the fact that they are written with the general tone of discovering the truth, rather than inventing the truth, is because a lot of them are old. Well, relatively old. And quite plain. A few years ago when I first started reading them, my instinct was to think less of them for this. But that the essays I like most are over 5 years old, yet still highly relevant, only adds to their credibility. I don't think a lot of stuff I read on blogs today will stand the test of time as well, though I admittedly don't read enough. Anyway, I realize this is slightly off topic. So, um, nice charts, and keep 'em coming Paul.
光有数据图表不够，读者更想要对文章内容本身的文学分析。
如果作者发表的是对文章内容的文学分析，我会更喜欢这篇文章。
blaines查看英文原文
I would have enjoyed this more if you published a literary analysis of essay content.
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