讲故事与叙事2022newyorker.com
John Darnielle 想给你讲个故事
John Darnielle wants to tell you a story
导读
这是《纽约客》对 Mountain Goats 主创 John Darnielle 的访谈，主题是讲故事与歌词中的叙事。对写作者来说，最有价值的是他关于“期待形成之后就危险了”的那段话：一件事还没有明确身份时，才是最有生命力的时刻。评论区还延伸到怎样通过拆解作品来学习写作。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
在风格和标签还没有固定下来、外界期待还没形成的时候大胆写，那正是最有活力、最不知道会走到哪里的阶段。
- 02
用具体、可感的细节和意象代替抽象结论，让句子在读者心里“萦绕不去”，而不是把意思直接说完。
- 03
像播客里逐首拆解歌曲那样，逐句拆解你欣赏的作品，并多听不同领域的人谈创作，训练自己“听”的能力。
- 04
别让对某位作者或某种风格的成见挡住你，先真正去读、去听，再判断它值不值得学。
HN 评论精选
期待和定义一旦形成，创作的兴奋感就消失了；最有创造力的时刻是规则尚未确定的阶段。
“问题不在于人们知道了什么，而在于期待会形成，社区内部和外部都会形成期待。期待是致命的。在一件事还没有完整、可辨识的身份之前，那才是最激动人心的时刻。那时你并不真的知道它会走向哪里，但有一种感觉，你说不清它叫什么。”这也是我被阿波罗计划之前的美国太空项目吸引的原因：当时没人知道什么可能、什么不可能。有工程师决定让加压的燃料箱本身成为火箭的承力结构，薄得像一枚镍币；有人算出分级能达到的速度和高度，然后火箭就上了轨道。嘿，范艾伦辐射带！测试土星火箭时只是搭载模拟载荷、不载人，于是有人提议在高空引爆一 payload 的水……为了科学。为什么不呢？在当时，你完全可以相信一切皆有可能。我不知道太空旅行对公众来说是从什么时候、为什么变得无聊的，但也许就是从我们开始知道什么是真正可能（也就是可负担）的范围和局限之时。
JKCalhoun查看英文原文
"The problem is not that people know, but that expectations form, both within the community and outside of it. Expectations are death. Before something has a full-on, identifiable identity—that’s the exciting time. That’s the time when you don’t really know where something is going, but there’s a feeling, and you can’t quite name it." It is why I think I am drawn to the pre-Apollo U.S. space program. I don't think anyone knew what was and was not possible. Some engineer decides to make the pressurized rocket tank itself the structural part of the rocket — the thickness of a nickel. Someone calculates velocity and altitudes achievable from staging and then a rocket is put in orbit. Hey, Van Allen belts! We're testing the Saturn vehicle, unmanned with just a dummy cargo — so someone suggests exploding a payload of water high up in the upper atmosphere ... for science. Why not? You could be forgiven at the time for beginning to believe that anything was possible. I don't know when or why space travel became boring to the public. But maybe it was when we had begun to know the extent and limitations of what in fact was possible (affordable).
不要凭成见给创作者下结论，亲自去读、去听，往往会发现被自己错过的高手。
我喜欢 Mountain Goats。一直觉得 Darnielle 独一无二；同时也毫无理由地认为 Springsteen 是个四肢发达的老爸摇滚歌手，有几首洗脑歌，但我从没认真听过。直到我读到《Because the Night》是 Springsteen 为 Patti Smith 写的，才去听了几张专辑。我完全不知道自己那些成见是从哪来的——那家伙是个极其出色的词曲作者。如果你喜欢 Mountain Goats，又年轻到一直忽略 Springsteen，去听《Kansas》和《Born in the U.S.A.》。第一次跟着 Springsteen 的歌哭出来时，屏幕上弹出了“ rapidly approaching middle-age”成就横幅。他去年还和 The Killers 合作了一个很棒的《Dustland》版本（The Killers 这名字就是从 Mountain Goats 的一首歌里来的）。
miiiiiike查看英文原文
I love The Mountain Goats. Always thought Darnielle was something completely unique and, unrelated, that Springsteen was a meathead dad rocker who had some catchy songs I never really listened to.. Until I read that Springsteen wrote “Because the Night” for Patti Smith and decided to listen to a few albums. I have no clue where I got my ideas about Springsteen, that guy is a fucking amazing song writer. If you like The Mountain Goats and are young enough to have ignored Springsteen, listen to “Kansas” and “Born in the U.S.A.” A “Rapidly Approaching Middle-Age” achievement banner popped up the first time I cried along to a Springsteen song. He did a great version of “Dustland” with The Killers (who stole their name from a Mountain Goats song) last year: https://youtu.be/M3BZ8hnLyRc
拆解具体作品并开放的谈论创作过程，是提升写作与鉴赏力的有效方式。
我还没读这篇文章，但很高兴在这儿看到 John Darnielle，必须推荐播客《I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats》（Joseph Fink 与 John Darnielle 主持）。每期他们拆解他作品里的一首歌，和别人对谈，还会翻唱这首主打歌。概念很好，但对我来说最棒的是那些额外的对话，以及关于音乐、写作、艺术的泛谈。这个播客让我对很多原先一无所知甚至怀疑的东西有了更深的体会，我觉得它让我更会听音乐，也更会听别人的人生视角。
falsenapkin查看英文原文
I haven't read this yet but I'm excited to see John Darnielle on here and have to plug the podcast I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats with Joseph Fink and John Darnielle. Each episode they dissect a song from his catalog and have a discussion with someone else as well as a cover of the focus song. The concept is good, but for me the best part of the show is all of the other conversations and general discussion of music/writing/art. That podcast gave me a deeper appreciation for a lot of things I either was clueless or even skeptical about. I think it's made me a better listener of both music and other peoples life perspectives.
Darnielle 的歌词以意象鲜明、余味悠长见长，值得当作范本细读。
他也许是仍在世的最伟大的词曲作者。他的歌词萦绕人心，唤起意象的能力令人震惊。推荐《Magpie》《Dilaudid》《Until Olympius Returns》等许多作品。
sneak查看英文原文
He is, perhaps, the greatest living songwriter. His lyrics are haunting and mindblowingly evocative. Recommended: Magpie, Dilaudid, Until Olympius Returns, and many others.
同类还值得读
Pixar in a Box：可汗学院的皮克斯讲故事课
Pixar in a Box – Khan Academy
这篇是 Khan Academy 与 Pixar 合作的“Pixar in a Box”项目介绍，用计算机图形和动画制作来讲解数学概念。
讲故事与叙事2015 · 753 分 · 65 评4 条写作要点编辑精选皮克斯的讲故事法则
Pixar's Rules of Storytelling (2013)
这是皮克斯动画工作室流传甚广的 22 条讲故事法则清单，从“从前有个___，每天___，有一天___”的骨架，到如何重写自己讨厌的作品。
讲故事与叙事2018 · 513 分 · 74 评4 条写作要点编辑精选皮克斯通过可汗学院提供免费在线讲故事课程
Pixar offers free online lessons in storytelling via Khan Academy
这篇报道介绍皮克斯与可汗学院合作的免费在线课程《讲故事的艺术》，把皮克斯内部的故事创作方法公开给普通学习者。
讲故事与叙事2017 · 503 分 · 93 评4 条写作要点编辑精选用皮克斯的故事公式说服投资人
Use Pixar's story formula to win over investors
这篇文章借用皮克斯的故事公式（以《海底总动员》为例）来示范如何给投资人讲创业路演故事：先讲目标、再讲障碍、最后讲改变。
讲故事与叙事2021 · 439 分 · 188 评4 条写作要点编辑精选贝索斯如何把叙事变成亚马逊的竞争优势
Jeff Bezos Turned Narrative into Amazon's Competitive Advantage
这篇讲杰夫·贝索斯如何把“六页叙事备忘录”变成亚马逊的管理与竞争优势：用可独立阅读的叙述性文档替代口头汇报和 PowerPoint。
讲故事与叙事2019 · 435 分 · 181 评4 条写作要点编辑精选