疯狂情景会话真功夫 62.I Never Write Right

I NEVER WRITE RIGHT
[00:01.06]我不懂写作
[00:02.12]When I was fifteen,I announced to my English class that I was going to write and illustrate¹ my own books.
[00:05.59]十五岁的时候，我对班上同学宣布说准备写书，并自己画插图。
[00:09.06]Half the students sneered², the rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. "Don’t be silly,
[00:11.87]一半的学生开始窃笑，其余的则几乎从椅子上笑得跌到地上。“别傻了，
[00:14.68]only geniuses can become writers," the English teacher said smugly, "and you are getting a D this semester."
[00:18.16]只有天才才能成为作家，”英文老师自以为是地说道，“而你这个学期只有可能得D。”
[00:21.63]I was so humiliated³ I burst into tears.
[00:23.09]我羞愧得大哭起来。
[00:24.56]That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the Capri’s Weekly newspaper.
[00:28.03]那天晚上，我写了一首关于梦想破灭的伤心短诗，并将它寄给了《卡普里周报》。
[00:31.50]To my astonishment⁴, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was published and paid writer.
[00:34.98]出乎意料的是，他们发表了这首小诗并给我寄来了两美元。我是作家了，我的作品发表了并因此而得到了报酬。
[00:38.45]I showed my teacher and fellow students. They laughed. "Just plain dumb luck," the teacher said.
[00:41.65]我拿给老师和同学看，他们都笑我。“瞎猫逮着死耗子，”老师说道。
[00:44.85]I tasted success. I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was fine with me.
[00:49.36]我尝到了成功的甜头。我的第一篇作品就卖出去了。这比他们任何人做的都强，如果这是瞎猫逮着死耗子，那么我不在乎。
[00:53.86]During the next two years I sold dozens of poems, leteters, jokes and recipes.
[00:56.29]在接下来的两年里，我卖掉了几十首诗歌、书信、笑话和食谱。
[00:58.72]By the time I graduated from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks filled with my published work.
[01:02.41]中学毕业时，我的平均成绩是C+，但我的剪贴簿里已经贴满了我发表的作品。
[01:06.09]I never mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again.
[01:08.45]我再也没有将自己的写作情况告诉老师、同学或家人。
[01:10.82]They were dream killers⁵ and if people must choose between their friends and their dreams,
[01:13.87]他们都是无情的摧梦者。如果有人要从朋友和梦想之间作出选择，
[01:16.93]they must always choose their dreams.
[01:18.45]他们总该选择后者。
[01:19.96]I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four.
[01:22.18]现时我有四个孩子，最大的只有四岁。
[01:24.40]While the children napped, I typed at my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt.
[01:27.09]孩子们进入梦乡时，我就在那台老掉牙的打字机前打字。我写下自己的感受，
[01:29.78]It took nine months, just like a baby. I chose a publisher at random⁶ and put the manuscript⁷ in an empty Pampers⁸ disapers package,
[01:34.29]这花了我九个月的时间，就像十月怀胎。我随意选择了一家出版社，将手稿用空的“潘泊斯”尿布的盒子包起来
[01:38.80]the only box I could find. I’d never heard of manuscript boxes. The letter I enclosed read:
[01:42.48]——这是我唯一能找到的盒子了。我从来没听说过手稿箱。在附信中我写道：
[01:46.16]"I wrote this book myself, I hope you like it. I also do the illustrations. Chapter six and twelve are my favourites. Thank you."
[01:50.48]“这本书是我自己写的，希望你喜欢。插图也是我自己画的。我本人最喜欢第六章和第十二章。谢谢。”
[01:54.81]I tied the string around the diaper box and mailed it without a self addressed stamped envelope and without making a copy of the manuscript.
[01:58.64]我用绳子捆好尿布箱，然后寄了出去，甚至没有在信封上加盖自己的地址，也没有留下一份手稿的复印件。
[02:02.46]A month later I received a contract, an advance and royalties⁹, and a request to start working on another book. Crying Wind,
[02:06.82]一个月后，我收到一份合同、一份预付款和特许权，以及另一本书的约稿。这本名为《哭泣的风》
[02:11.19]the title of my book, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and Braille and sold worldwide.
[02:15.09]这本书成了畅销的书，并被译成15国文字和盲文，销往世界各地。
[02:19.00]I appeared on TV talk shows during the day and changed diapers at night.
[02:21.69]白天我出现在电视上的言谈节目中，晚上则回家换尿片。
[02:24.38]I traveled from New York to California and Canada on promotional tours.
[02:26.74]从纽约到加利福利亚，到加拿大。我往返于作促销旅行。
[02:29.11]My first book also became required reading in native American schools in Canada.
[02:31.97]我的第一本书被列为加拿大美语学校的必读课程。
[02:34.83]The worst year I ever had as a writer I earned two dollars. I was fifteen, remember?
[02:38.16]自从成了作家以来，我挣最少的一年只有两美元，那时我十五岁，还记得吗？
[02:41.49]In my best year I earned 36,000 dollars. Most years I earned between five thousand and ten thousan
[02:45.02]而最多的一年我可以挣三万六千美元。多数时候我挣的钱城五千到一万之间。
[02:48.54]No, it isn’t enough to live on, but it’s still more than I’d make working part time and it’s five thousand to ten thousand more than I’d make if I didn’t write at all.
[02:53.40]不，这当然不够维生，但兼职能赚这些已经够多，而且如果我不写作，就不可能多赚了五千到一万美元。
[02:58.26]People ask what college I attended, what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer.
[03:01.16]人们问我曾上过什么大学，曾得过什么学位，曾获过什么资格证书才可以成为作家。
[03:04.06]The answer is:"none." I just write. I’m not a genius. I’m not gifted and I don’t write right. I’m lazy,
[03:08.00]答案是：“什么也没有。”我只是写。我不是天才。我并没有写作天分也不懂写作。我懒惰、
[03:11.95]undisciplined, and spend more time with my children and friends than I do writing.
[03:14.38]没有经过正式训练，与孩子和朋友相处的时间要多过写作的时间。
[03:16.81]I didn’t own a Thesaurus until four years ago and I use a small Webster’s dictionary that I’d bought at K- Mart for 89 cents.
[03:20.86]直到四年前我才有了一本词典。我使用的是用89美分在市场里买来的一本韦氏小词典。
[03:24.90]I use an electric typewriter that I paid 129 dollars for six years ago.
[03:27.41]电动打字机是我六年前花129美元买来的。
[03:29.92]I’ve never used the word processor. I do all the cooking,
[03:32.17]我从来不使用单词处理程序。我包揽了家里六个人所有的烹调、
[03:34.41]cleaning and laundry for a family of six and fit my writing in a few minutes here and there.
[03:37.34]清洁和洗涤的活儿，这里写几分钟，那里写几分钟。
[03:40.26]I write everything in longhand on yellow tablets while sitting on the sofa with my four kids eating pizza and watcing TV.
[03:44.01]所有的东西我都是坐在沙发上速记在黄色的笔记薄上，和四个孩子一边吃比萨饼和一边看电视。
[03:47.76]When the book is finished, I type it and mail it to the publisher.
[03:49.89]书写完了，我就打出来然后寄到出版社。
[03:52.02]I’ve written eight books. Four have been published and three are still out with the publishers.
[03:54.92]我写了八本书。四本已出版，三本在出版社。
[03:57.82]One stinks¹⁰. To all those who dream of writing, I’m shouting at you:"Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Don’t listen to them."
[04:02.70]还有一本写砸了。对于那些梦想写作的人，我想大喊一声：“行的，你一定能行。不要听信别人。”
[04:07.59]I don’t write right but I’ve beaten the odds¹¹. Writing is easy, it’s fun and anyone can do it.
[04:11.34]我不懂写作，可是我战胜了不可能。写作很容易，十分有趣，每个人都做得来。
[04:15.09]Of course, a little dumb luck doesn’t hurt.
[04:16.74]当然，哪怕是瞎猫逮着死耗子也无关紧要。
 

1 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

2 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

3 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

4 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

5 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

6 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

7 manuscript   

n.手稿，原稿，底稿，手写本

参考例句：

• The adaptation of the play for radio manuscript was easy.把剧本改编成广播稿很容易。
• The lost manuscript was found in a repository in France.丢失的手稿在法国的一个存放处被找到了。

8 pampers   

v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The biggest is Pampers nappies, which collected more than $7 billion last year. 最大的是帮宝适(Pampers)纸尿裤，去年收获超过70亿美元。 来自互联网
• She pampers her own spoiled children and brings Jane up as little better than a servant. 她对她那些被宠坏了的孩子娇生惯养，但对简则有如对待佣仆。 来自辞典例句

9 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

10 stinks   

v.散发出恶臭( stink的第三人称单数 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• The whole scheme stinks to high heaven—don't get involved in it. 整件事十分卑鄙龌龊——可别陷了进去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soup stinks of garlic. 这汤有大蒜气味。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？