写作方法2020nytimes.com编辑精选
如何编辑修改自己的文章
How to Edit Your Own Writing
导读
这是一篇纽约时报的实用文章,讲如何修改自己的文章;Hacker News 的读者又补充了若干经过实践检验的方法。对写作者来说,它值得一读,因为修改往往比初稿更能决定文章质量,而这些方法都能立刻用上。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
用“想法流程图”代替传统提纲:节点是观点或关键词,箭头表示顺序;试着重排或删掉中间环节,检验逻辑是否成立。
- 02
把文字朗读出来,或让电脑朗读,这能抓住默读时大脑自动跳过的错误。
- 03
写完先放一段时间,或请别人读;换个心境就等于换了一个“陌生人”的视角。
- 04
主动删掉 was/is/are 这类 be 动词,迫使自己明确句中每个动作的主语,表达会更精确。
HN 评论精选
用有向流程图代替提纲,通过重排和删减节点检验逻辑结构,并随写作不断更新。
我常建议学生先画一张“想法流程图”而不是列提纲:用方框装观点、关键词、短语或示意图,再用箭头按顺序连起来。学生来跟我讲计划时,我先看框里的内容是否都相关、有没有遗漏,这一步和看传统提纲的条目没区别。关键在下一步:比如图是 A->B->C,我会提出另一种排序,问他为什么那样不行;我还会问,中间那个 B 到底需不需要。这种有向图的方法能帮全文找到好的逻辑结构,常能省下大量时间;否则后期要挪动的就不是短语和想法,而是段落、小节甚至整章。画这种图最好的方式,往往是向别人解释写作目标时边讲边画;如果听的人说“我看不出你怎么从这个想法跳到下一个”,那可能就得再加一个框。另一个建议是:写作过程中不断更新这张图,因为写的过程常会发现起初没想到的东西。
bluenose69查看英文原文
I often advise students to start with a sort of flowchart of ideas, instead of an outline. This consists of boxes with ideas, keywords, phrases, or diagrams, connected with arrows in a sequential order. When the student pitches the plan to me, I start by looking at the items in the boxes of the flowchart, to make sure they are all relevant and that no relevant things have been missed. So far, this is no different than looking at a bullet list in a conventional outline. But the next step is the key: if the diagram has A->B->C, for example, I propose some other ordering and ask the student why that couldn't work. And I also ask whether we actually need that B in the middle. This directed-graph approach can help to reveal a good logical structure for the overall composition, often saving an great deal of time at a later stage, where the pieces being moved around are not just phrases or ideas, but rather paragraphs, sections, or even chapters. Quite often, the best way to come up with a diagram of this type is to explain the goal of the written work to someone else, drawing the diagram as part of the explanation. If the listener says "I don't see how you got from that idea to the next" then the diagram might need another box. The other hint I give to students is to keep updating this flowchart as the writing is being done, because the act of writing can so often uncover things that were not envisioned at the start. PS. when I say "my student", I include myself, for the teacher who is not also a learner is missing an opportunity.
让电脑朗读自己的文字,能捕捉默读时被大脑跳过的错误。
用“chat”代替“communicate”?这听起来不像好建议。分享一个多年来对我很有用的技巧:让电脑把高亮段落读给你听,比如用 macOS 的辅助功能。我在 Mac 上用得太多,还专门设了快捷键 ctrl-esc,写这条评论时就在用。你会惊讶地发现,这样能抓到很多平时抓不到的错,因为大脑朗读时走的心理捷径和写作时是一样的。
julienchastang查看英文原文
Use "chat" instead of "communicate"? Really that does not sound like good advice to me. Here is a tip that's really helped me over the years. Have the computer read highlighted sections back to you (via Accessibility features on MacOS, for example). I do this so often on my Mac that I have a keyboard shortcut for it; ctrl-esc. I use this feature all the time including for the composition of this comment. It is amazing to me the number of mistakes you can catch in this manner that you would not catch otherwise. The reason is your brain takes the same mental shortcuts in reading aloud (as the article recommends) as when you write.
隔一段时间以“陌生人”的视角重读,是发现自己盲点的最好方法。
这篇文章还算有用,但谈不上特别有洞见。我认为“给自己留点空间”是最有用的建议。在任何时刻、任何心境下,你对自己想说什么、说得怎么样,都只有不完美的视角。等到换了心境再回看,是给自己的思路“分层”的最好办法:补上漏洞、考虑新视角、获得新认识。每篇写作都该这么做:没时间就找人替你看;要么就让足够的时间过去,让自己在某种意义上变成“另一个人”,再读一遍。
girzel查看英文原文
This was fairly useful, if not amazingly insightful. I think that "give yourself some space" is by far the most helpful tip. At any given moment, in any given state of mind, you'll only ever have an imperfect perspective on what it is you're trying to say, and how well you've succeeded in saying it. Waiting until you're in a different frame of mind, then revisiting the piece, is the best way of "layering" your own ideas – filling in gaps, considering new perspectives, coming to new realizations. I think it's something that has to be done with every piece of writing. You either get someone else to look at it and do it for you (if you don't have time), or let enough time pass that you have (in a sense) become "someone else" yourself, and read again.
删掉 be 动词,迫使自己明确动作的主体,让表达更精确。
大学时,教授在我每篇论文里每出现一个动词“be”就扣一分。把 was、is、are 从句子中重构掉,你会看到写作变好:它迫使你非常认真地思考句中每个动作的主语,文字也会因此更精确。
potench查看英文原文
My professor deducted a point for every instance of the verb “be” in my papers in college. Refactor “was, is, are” out of your sentences and you’ll see your writing improve - it forces you to think very critically about the subject of each action in a sentence and your writing will sound more precise for it.
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