写作方法2008www3.baylor.edu编辑精选
如何在五百字里言之无物
How to Say Nothing in 500 Words
导读
这篇经典写作文章讨论如何在500词篇幅内避免空话和凑字数：通过删减填充、让句子精炼有力，把字数限制当作打磨文章的约束，而不是需要填满的目标。对写作者来说，它提醒我们：冗长不等于充实，删改才是写作的关键能力。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
先写出超过字数要求的初稿，再通过删减把它压缩到限制以内，把字数限制当成打磨工具。
- 02
删掉“稻草式”的填充句，追求简洁、精确、无歧义、准确的表达。
- 03
不要为凑字数重复常识或废话；不必要的冗长应被看作缺点，而不是完成任务的手段。
- 04
即使题目本身无趣，也可以练习就任何主题写出精炼有力的短文，但写作作业最好与真实兴趣结合。
HN 评论精选
字数下限会奖励冗长，应鼓励简洁、精确、无歧义的写作。
我讨厌凑字数的文字。字数限制会毁掉许多学生、学术和职业写作的质量。在我受教育的最后10年里，我经常提交不到要求长度80%的作业，仍然拿到A。多数老师足够理性，知道高质量作品不需要满足任意限制。我希望教育者停止设置字数限制，即使学生主动要求也不要设。不必要的冗长应受惩罚而非奖励；简洁、精确、无歧义、准确的写作才应被鼓励。
snprbob86查看英文原文
I HATE padded text. Length constraints kill the quality of many student, academic, and professional writings. In the last 10 years of my education, I routinely submitted works less than 80% of the required length and still received A grades. Most instructors are reasonable enough to know that high quality work does not need to meet arbitrary constraints. I wish educators would stop providing length constraints, even when students request them. Unnecessary verbosity should be punished, not rewarded. Succinct, precise, unambiguous, and accurate writing needs to be encouraged.
字数限制应作为删改约束：先超写，再压缩成精炼文字。
很多人似乎没抓住重点。文中说：若想写得更好，必须换一种做法。不要往句子里塞稻草，而要持续删掉填充，让句子精炼有力。若真下功夫，初稿会大大超过要求字数，然后再把它删减下来。这样500词就成了约束而非目标，而约束能造就好写作。这些限制原本就是此意。
ojbyrne查看英文原文
It seems like people are missing the point. "But if you aim higher, you must work differently. Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw, you must try steadily to get rid of the padding, to make your sentences lean and tough. If you are really working at it, your first draft will greatly exceed the required total, and then you will work it down." Then the 500 words becomes a constraint rather than a goal, and constraints make for great writing. And that's how the limits were originally intended.
脱离兴趣的写作作业可能削弱动力，但好作者也应能处理任意题目。
我不确定该怎么看。没人真的关心英语101作文题目。一方面，好作家能就任何题目写500词，即使不关心；另一方面，任何人写自己关心的东西都能写得不错。所以我纳闷大学课程为何布置没人想做的作业。他们想靠写无关主题把人变成好作家吗？这听起来像是确保人永远练不好写作的好办法。我在学校写作一直很差，现在却靠写书获得可观收入；不确定这说明什么，但若遇到中学或大学英语老师，我会提一提。
jrockway查看英文原文
I'm not sure how I feel about this. Nobody really cares about the subjects of English 101 essays. On the one hand, if you're a good writer, you can write 500 words about anything; even if you don't care about it. On the other hand, anyone can write something good if they do care about it. So I'm wondering why college courses assign assignments that nobody wants to do. Do they want people to become good writers by writing about irrelevant subjects? Sounds like a great way to make sure people never get good at writing. (I was always bad at writing in school. Now I get a significant income from having written a book. Not sure what this says about anything, but if I ever meet my high school/college English teachers, I will mention it to them. ;)
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