写作方法2020locusmag.com编辑精选
写作者的规则
Rules for Writers
导读
这是科利·多克托罗（Cory Doctorow）给写作者列的一份规则清单，文中引用了科幻写作圈著名的"土耳其城词典"（Turkey City Lexicon），点出诸如生造名词、白痴情节等常见毛病。值得写作者一读，因为它谈的都是具体可避的坑，而不只是空泛的创作箴言；评论区还延伸讨论了"先掌握规则再打破规则"这一原则该怎么理解和对话标签的取舍。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
把"先掌握规则才能打破规则"换成更实用的说法：这些技巧要写对难得多，故事出问题时，先试着换成更简单的做法。
- 02
别为了异域感给寻常事物硬造新名字（"把兔子叫成斯米尔普"），这只会让读者出戏。
- 03
警惕"白痴情节"：角色在危险中毫无理由地各自散开、只为制造冲突，是最偷懒也最招人烦的套路。
- 04
对话标签不必迷信一律用"说"，适度用 hissed、grunted 这类动词反而更贴近真实口语，但要意识到真实感与文学性之间的取舍。
HN 评论精选
把"先掌握再打破"重构成"规则更难写对，出问题时就换更简单的做法"，对创作者更实用。
我花了很长时间才想通这一点，我想是因为通常的说法是"要打破规则，必须先掌握规则"。这把我带偏了。如果当初教我写作的作家和书说的是"这些东西要写对难得多，所以如果故事出了问题，试着用更简单的东西替换它们"，我会更早想明白。
mortenjorck查看英文原文
> It took me an admittedly very long time to reach this conclusion, and I think it’s because the standard wisdom goes something like, “In order to break the rules, you must first master them.” That threw me off. If, instead, the writers and books I’d learned from had said, “These things are much harder to get right, so if your story goes wrong, try replacing them with something easier,” I’d have come to my epiphany far earlier. This really is a much better way of framing the classic "master the rules before you break them" principle. It certainly applies to other creative disciplines outside of writing, as well.
两个常见毛病：靠生造名词制造异域感，以及靠角色犯蠢推动剧情的"白痴情节"。
"把兔子叫成斯米尔普"（给寻常事物硬造异世界名字）在《权力的游戏》里比比皆是。"白痴情节"大概是最让人疲惫的，因为我总能看到：通常是一个小队进入危险处境，然后大家各自散开乱走，最后又聚到一起，才想起问"鲍勃呢？有人看见鲍勃去哪儿了吗？"——而鲍勃当然已经惹上大麻烦了。《行尸走肉》里满是这种偷懒套路，我因此弃剧了。
WalterBright查看英文原文
> “Call a Rabbit a Smeerp“ Game of Thrones is famously full of that. > "Idiot Plot" Probably the most tiresome, as I see it constantly. It normally manifests itself as a squad goes into a dangerous situation, and then all split off and wander around on their own. Eventually, most get back together, then wonder "Where's Bob? Did anyone see where Bob went?" and of course, Bob has gotten into big trouble. "The Walking Dead" was so full of this lazy trope I gave up watching it. (From the referenced Turkey City Lexicon.)
对话标签不必完全禁用，适度使用拟声类动词能提升真实感，这是真实感与文学性的取舍。
对流行的"禁用花哨对话动词"（said-bookism）这条建议，我感到很矛盾。我自己写作时尽量遵守，但现实中的英语口语词汇有限，往往靠语气传达意思。因此用 hissed、grunted、whined 这类简单动词来描述对话，反而比更文学化的替代词更贴近人真实的说话方式；完全靠措辞来传达情绪，在真实感上是有代价的。
stupidcar查看英文原文
I find myself torn regarding the popular prescription against "said-bookisms". While I try to follow it in my own writing, it is the case that much real-world English speech uses a limited vocabulary and relies on tone of voice to carry meaning. As such, simple dialogue described by verbs like "hissed", "grunted", "whined", etc. better reflects how people really speak than more literary alternatives, and there is a trade-off in verisimilitude that comes from relying entirely on words to convey mood.
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